Gaining Trust
by KicsterAsh
Summary: Danny's finally going to get to meet his new crew at NASA and start training them. But when his new co-pilot, Nicholas Stevenson, accidentally discover his secret, their relationship takes off with a bumpy start.
1. Chapter 1

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**__ Okay, here's the next installment to my Danny Phantom stories. Nicholas Stevenson is going to be introduced in this one, along with several other members of Danny's crew. Because school's starting and I'm on a writer's block for the following DP story, I will be uploading this at very odd times. So just bare with me please._

_Oh yeah, and the cover art helped by mah dear friend Clau~3 Muchas gracias, chica! Te quierooo!_

_Go look at the cover pic on my DA profile.;)_

* * *

Andy peered into his parents' bedroom early that morning before school and smiled slyly. His mother was sleeping on the side nearest to the windows; his father, on his stomach like usual, was sleeping nearest to the doorway.

The five-year-old giggled very softly and crept in without making a sound. He turned himself invisible as he neared the bed and only came to a stop when he was right next to it.

Danny was sleeping soundly, one arm tucked beneath his pillow while the other hung limply over the side of his bed. His black hair was a mess, on account for turning and changing positions in bed during the night. He had no shirt on—Andy knew his father liked to sleep without one. He took a deep breath subconsciously and continued to slumber.

Andy grinned deviously and crouched down. He mentally counted up to three and leaped into the air over his father, hoping to scare him.

Just as he was about to fall back down over his father, Andy still invisible, Danny raised a finger. "Uh-uh," he muttered, as though he had been awake the entire time.

Andy gasped and came to a complete stop in mid-air. He cried in surprise and turned visible again.

Danny remained as he was until finally opening an eye. It was glowing white, but within seconds the glow disappeared and his blue irises reappeared. The man smiled cleverly. "Did you honestly think that I wouldn't catch you?" he asked.

Andy moaned and hung his arms limply, just as Sam stirred and turned over. "Awww," the five-year-old said. He crossed his arms. "I liked it when you used to_ not _catch me. Now you _always_ do."

"Keeps me from getting a heart attack," Danny replied, turning onto his back as Sam rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Danny's eyes glowed white again and he pointed at his stomach. Slowly, Andy floated downwards until he was lying over his father. "Just remember one thing, Andy; turning invisible does _not _keep you from being heard."

"That stinks."

Danny chuckled softly before closing his eyes, just as Sam sat up in bed. "Did you clean up the mess you made in your room yesterday, Andy?" she asked.

"No," Andy replied. "Daddy said he was gonna help me pick up."

Sam frowned tiredly and looked at her husband. Danny opened an eye, which had returned to normal, and grinned. "Well, I _did _sorta help create it," he said.

"Well, do it before breakfast, then," Sam said. "Your flight for Texas leaves at one, remember?"

"Is Daddy gonna go flyin' to the _moon _again?" Andy asked excitedly, sitting down on his father.

Danny groaned softly when Andy sat up and then opened both of his eyes. "Not this time," he said as Sam got out of bed and put on her bathrobe. "I'm just going to give a meeting. My boss and supervisors have chosen people for my crew, so I'm going to go meet them and talk to them for a little bit."

"Why do you need a crew?"

"Because I can't go on the special missions by myself, you cooke. I need people to help me."

"But you went alone the last time."

"No, I didn't. I had four other people with me. And that wasn't a special mission. We just went to the moon for a week to fix one of the rover machines."

Andy lay down on Danny's chest again and placed his hands on his cheeks. "Whatcha gonna do on the special missions, Daddy?" he asked.

Danny grinned. "Get Space samples," he said. "With the new space shuttles, we can travel further and come back faster, which means I won't always be gone for more than a month."

"Are you gonna meet aliens?"

"Aliens don't exist, Andy."

Andy's eyes twinkled. "Then are you gonna meet… _ghosts?"_

Sam sighed loudly as she tied up her hair. "Okay, ghost freaks; time to get out of bed and ready for work and school," she announced.

"But Daddy didn't answer my question!" Andy complained.

"He can answer it when he comes back tomorrow night."

Andy moaned. Danny looked at him and smiled. "Your mom's right, Squirt," he said. "When I come back, I can tell you a bit more about the missions… All the while helping your uncle Tucker put up the finishing touches to the ghost portal downstairs. How's that?"

Andy smiled brightly and sat up quickly while slapping his hands against Danny's stomach. "YES!" he exclaimed.

Danny groaned in surprise as Andy rose to his feet and leaped off of the bed. "Whoohoo! We can paint the ghost portal!" he cheered, dashing out of the room. "Wooooohooooo!"

Danny watched him leave while tenderly rubbing his stomach. "Okay, if I had been his age and my dad said that, I would have freaked and hid under my bed," he muttered as Sam laughed.

Sam walked up to him and rubbed Danny's head. "Andy's not a nervous wreck like you were, remember?" she teased, gently slapping his cheek. She left the room. "Get dressed and meet us in the kitchen; _then _you can help Andy clean up his room."


	2. Chapter 2

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_**ANSWER TO "A CURIOUS READER"'S COMMENT:** Thank you for your comment, but I want to make it clear that I am writing stories aimed for a younger audience. I read in a book written by a bestselling author that "If you write for children, keep in mind that they tend to have short attention spans. Kids like seeing dialogue in books because it's easier for them to read and also fun." Which is true. After what I've written for children in the past, I've known this fact. My descriptions are simple so that children can understand them. If adults decide to read my stories, or even older teenagers, then that's your choice. If you don't like the lack of description, then go read Lord of the Rings and tell me the difference between that and a kid's novel. I admit to being one of those children who loved to read but skimmed over long paragraphs if I was getting impatient and felt like the story wasn't moving along. When I got older, I became more patient and enjoyed reading every word. I LOVE description, but I know that if I dwell too long on something, the child reading my story will get bored and just drop the book. That's why I make them a little shorter.  
_

_As for the fact that I haven't gone into detail about Andy's relationship with Sam or Tucker, it's because the stories are more focused on DANNY FENTON. When Andy becomes the protagonist of the story, THEN I will be going into depth about the relationship he has with his mother and uncle. But because DANNY is the main character for most of my stories, HE'S the one people should be focused on. It's HIS relationship with other characters that needs to be addressed in times like those. Andy's relationship with his father is a very important one, which is why I express it a lot more than the one he has with his mother or uncle._

_As for the story and plot line: I LIKE having a specific plot to follow. It's worked out perfectly for me and my readers so far. I like the idea that each story before is joined together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.  
_

_And a last thing: I am writing a fanfiction for a television series. I tend to have difficulty making the transition from TV to book. With my OWN stories, meaning the ones I've written with my own characters and that I am currently proof reading, I have an easier time with description and less dialogue because I'm depending on my writing skills to describe what only I can see at the moment. That's when I am a little heavier on the descriptions and relationships._

_**And this is a note to the rest of you readers: if you HAVEN'T read "Return of the Hero", "The Mystery of the Spirit Gems" and "Double Trouble" before this DP story, then I suggest you go read them if you don't want to be confused later on. I make a LOT of reference to those stories, so please read them and save yourselves the trouble of having to ask what I mean about certain details.**_

_That's about it. Thank you for taking my rant. I'm exhausted from university and a little stressed out, so if this all came out in a negative-sounding way, I didn't mean it like that._

_**Hokay! Story time!**_

_**

* * *

**_

Andy was already busy eating his cereal at incredible speed when Danny came downstairs into the kitchen. He was just zipping up his NASA uniform sweater when he walked in. "How's this for dressed?" he asked.

Sam looked at him over her shoulder. "Good enough," she replied with a grin, going back to making her son's lunch.

Danny rolled his eyes amusingly before looking at his son. Andy devoured his breakfast as if he was in a hurry.

"Hey, whoa there!" Danny gasped, running over and stopping the boy from eating so quickly. "What's the rush, Andrew?"

"I gotsta finish my breakfast fast so that school can finish fast," he said with a mouthful of fruit loops.

"The day won't go any faster if you choke yourself to death either," Danny said with a nervous chuckle. "Swallow what you've got in your mouth and eat the rest at a normal pace, okay?"

"Okay."

Danny released his son's hand and then walked over to the counter where he grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and poured himself some cereal. "So, Tucker's up to what today?" he asked, reaching around his wife and grabbing the jug of milk.

"Another press conference," Sam replied. "Then he's gonna be working on his computer program all day."

"What's the press conference about this time?"

Sam turned her head and gave him a sarcastic look. Danny, who had just finished pouring milk into his bowl, froze for a moment before smiling innocently and sealing the jug shut again. "I didn't _mean _it," he apologized.

Sam rolled her eyes and continued filling her son's lunch box. "They wanted more updates on _Danny Phantom's _last ghost fight," she announced. "From last week."

"Forgive me if I've become a national icon again."

"Tell that to Tucker. He's hardly had any _sleep _because of your stunts, Danny. At night, he's helping you bust ghosts. During the day, he's answering questions about Amity Park's hero."

"I'm not _forcing _him to help me," Danny said quietly, as a soft frown settled over his brow. He turned around, leaned against the counter and began eating his breakfast. "Tucker helps out because he wants to, just like you do."

"Yeah, but I don't have to stand in front of microphones and answer question after question about you," Sam replied.

"Look; if Tucker tells me that he needs a break, then he can have one," Danny argued. "It's not _my _fault the people know him as Danny Phantom's link to Amity Park. Who gave him that title, anyway?"

"Amity _Park,"_ Sam answered.

"Tucker's trying to help me, and I appreciate it. You'd do the same if you were in his position, Sam. Don't tell me you wouldn't."

Sam sighed and looked at Danny. "I just don't need to have _both _of my best friends do stupid things," she said. "One's enough, thank you."

"I don't do stupid things," Danny muttered between bites.

Sam laughed sarcastically and looked at him again. "And using that street light as a baseball bat wasn't stupid?" she said.

"Hey, Skulker was gonna _skin _me, Sam!" Danny replied in defence. "I had to use _something _that could club him!"

Andy finished his breakfast and carried his bowl to the dishwasher. He then squeezed between his parents and grabbed his lunch box. "Are you guys finished fighting over silly things?" he asked.

"We're not fighting," his parents replied in unison.

Andy looked at them sarcastically. Danny shared a wry grin with his wife at this. "We just… enjoy disagreeing with each other," Sam replied with a shrug.

The five-year-old nodded and walked off. "Uh-huh," he said, still not convinced. "If you're finished then, will you drive me to school? You guys talked so much, I don't have time to clean my room with Daddy."

Sam gasped and looked at her watch. "Oh, shoot!" she said, grabbing her purse and snatching her keys. "Okay, go get your bag and coat, Andy, and get in the car! Mom will be there in a few seconds!" She dashed off into the house.

"What about Daddy?" Andy wondered, pointing at Danny.

"Yeah; what _about _him?" Danny agreed.

Sam stuck her head back into the kitchen and raised an eyebrow. "_He's _got some cleaning to do," she said before disappearing.

Andy moaned while Danny tucked his hands into his pockets. "But it was gonna be the last thing I do wif him before Daddy leaves!" he complained. "It was the only time I _wanted _to clean my mess!"

Danny chuckled and rubbed the boy's head. "I'll be back tomorrow night, Squirt," he said. "I'll clean your room this time, but next time, we'll make an adventure out of it together, okay?"

Andy groaned stubbornly and walked off to get his coat. "Fine," he muttered.

Danny watched him leave and then rolled his eyes. "At least having ghost powers makes cleaning the room interesting for him," he said to himself.

* * *

It took a few extra minutes before both Sam and Andy had gotten outside. Danny walked them out to the car and held the door open so that Andy could climb in. "We'll see you tomorrow, Andy," he said, leaning into the car. He kissed Andy on the head and pulled himself away. "Be good, ok?"

Andy grinned back and gave the thumbs up. "Okie dokie!" he said before waving. "Bye-bye, Daddy."

Danny waved back before closing the passenger door and looking up at Sam. The woman opened the driver's door and looked at her husband. "I'll go to the store to get a few things and then I'll go check how my dad's doing," she said. "I'll drive you to the airport after, ok?"

"Do you think Tuck will have the chance to see me off?"

"Not likely; he'll probably give you a call if he's not busy, but that's it."

"Good enough."

Sam got into the car and closed the door. Danny stepped back and waved at his son again. Andy waved back before the car drove off down the street.

Danny watched it leave before turning around and walking back towards the house. "Now to clean up the tornado," he muttered to himself.

* * *

Twelve thirty arrived, and with it came time to embark on the plane. Sam and Danny had arrived at the airport at noon, and half an hour later, it was time to go separate ways.

Sam kissed Danny while placing her hands around his neck and then pulled her lips away from his. "You'll do fine," she whispered, sensing his anxiety. "You were always good at talking in front of a crowd when the time called for it."

"Doesn't mean that I wasn't nervous," Danny replied. "You know I hate having to stand up in front of people."

"You're just naming the people that will be part of your crew, Danny. It's not like you're on national television, you know."

"I know, but…" Danny looked at his shoulder bag for a moment before looking worriedly at Sam. "I'm always worried that someone I work with might figure something out. You know, about my powers. It's really hard to start working with a new team if you don't know anyone or know if you can trust them."

"True, but you'll never know what might happen if you don't try it out," Sam replied, zipping Danny's NASA jacket up. "At least there's Dr. Johnson you can talk to about things." She kissed his cheek. "You'll need to take a taxi home. Tucker will be with me and Andy, fixing the PC downstairs in the lab, okay?"

Danny nodded. "Sure," he replied. He hoisted up his bag and walked off. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Danny."


	3. Chapter 3

The NASA Johnson Space Center, located in Houston, Texas, was buzzing with excitement when Danny walked through the front doors a few hours later. People ran errands or rushed to meetings. There was always something happening there.

Danny looked about. "Wonder why it's loud," he muttered.

"Just the usual; a new crew will be named, that's all," a deep voice announced.

Danny froze for a moment before turning around and coming face-to-face with the director of NASA, Lieutenant Martin Jones. A veteran astronaut _and _soldier, he had a built body and a proud look to him. Unlike most of the workers at NASA, Jones' uniform was a dark green and sported numerous medals from his years in the Marines. His hair was still brown, despite his growing years, and his eyes were a dark yet fierce green. He was known to be an incredibly strict man, but when off duty, he could be very gentle-hearted. Danny knew this to be a fact; despite his young age, Danny had become one of the Lieutenant's good friends when not working.

Danny immediately saluted him. "Lieutenant, Sir!" he said.

Jones nodded back and saluted. "Good afternoon, Daniel," he said as the black-haired man put his arm down. "How was the flight here?"

"Bumpy, but what else is new?" Danny replied as the two turned and walked off together. "So; what's all the commotion about?"

"Like I said; a new crew will be named today."

"Yeah, so I heard. Anything specific?"

"It'll be _your _crew."

Danny fell silent for a moment and slapped his forehead. _"Duh,"_ he muttered to himself. "I'm here _for _that reason!"

Jones chuckled softly before speaking again. "The meeting will be tomorrow at one pm, Danny," he said. "It will be short, considerin' all you're doin' is givin' out the positions we chose for your crew. I know what a pain it could be for someone like you just to fly out to Texas for a day or two, but you're the captain, and like I said, it'll be short."

"Short is better than long for me, Sir. You know I hate talking in front of people."

"Yeah; your nerves get shot and you end up breaking something."

Danny blushed.

"It's a good thing people like the way you think, Danny; or else I would have had to fire you."

Danny laughed nervously while rubbing his neck. "Go figure," he said, making his boss chuckle.

Jones finished laughing and took a deep breath. "Anyway, we chose the best of the best for your team, considerin' yours will be the first to do something like this," he announced. "We'll give you the documents once you're settled in, and you can go over the details."

"Yessir."

"They'll start training right away, and you'll be back within a week to overlook the final exams and then take on the first mission. Clear?"

"Crystal."

Jones stopped walking and turned to face Danny. "If you have any questions, ask Dr. Johnson," he said. "I'll be in a conference until eight tonight, so I won't be available."

Danny nodded. "Yessir," he replied.

Jones nodded and walked off. "Carry on, Captain. We'll see you tomorrow at one."

* * *

Morning came early at the Space Center, just as it did every day. People were up and doing things by six o'clock, if not earlier. Students came in around eight to begin a new day of training while astronauts who had not stayed overnight in the city were dropped off from the airport.

Nicholas Stevenson was one of those astronauts. After three years of constant training and exams at the Space Program, he had finally earned his place among NASA. Flying out straight from New York City, he was up long before the sun was and was ready to start his new career on the right foot.

He spent the morning with some of his old colleagues, who were also there to start their job. Some remained on the ground while others would be traveling to the Space Station. But only a few of those he had graduated with were going to be with him as part of the first Special Missions team.

"_May I have your attention, please,"_ the intercom announced around the entire facility that same afternoon;_ "May all the new cadets and astronauts for A-Team shuttle B-614 please report to conference hall 405; your new captain will be giving a brief overview of your jobs aboard the shuttle."_

Nicholas strode down the corridors, proud to finally be at NASA for his very first day on the job. Ever since he had been a child, he dreamt of this moment; becoming an astronaut and flying into space, the one place most people only dream of being in. His father had done it before him. Now, it was his turn.

He was going to the conference room, about to meet his new crew captain. Apparently, the man was the youngest member of NASA to ever become a captain; at only thirty years of age, he was considered a NASA prodigy.

The young man passed a hand over his dark red hair and took a deep breath. Nicholas was excited to meet his captain. He had no idea what role he would be called to take upon, but he was sure he would not fail him.

He passed by a room which suddenly caught his attention. He stopped, having noticed something inside, and, out of curiosity, decided to retrace his steps and have a peep. Looking about to see if anyone was watching, he then peered through the slightly opened door.

It was a small office, like most of the rooms at NASA. Inside was a desk, a small bed by the window, and a computer. Nicholas could not see any more than that.

He was about to shrug and leave when a noise from within the room caught his attention. He peered again and raised his eyebrows.

It was a young man, with jet black hair—a few strands of silver or white here and there—and piercing blue eyes. He was walking around in circles, mumbling words to himself. All he had on were his uniform pants and shoes, and the white t-shirt that was worn beneath the normal jacket astronauts wore at NASA when not on the shuttle.

Nicholas recognized him as Danny Fenton; his uncle, Dr. Michael Johnson, had told Nicholas about Danny several times before. He was a few years younger than Nicholas, came from a city known as Amity Park, and was the youngest son of the world's greatest Ghost Hunters. Like Nicholas, he had wanted to be an astronaut since he was a child.

The biggest detail Nicholas remembered about Danny was that, five years earlier, just when the man officially began his career as an astronaut, he had mysteriously vanished. No one, not even the police, were able to find out where he had disappeared to. Five years later, he reappeared in Amity Park, around the time Dr. Johnson had gone there to visit some said friends. He then returned to NASA as if the disappearance had never occurred.

Danny continued to walk around in circles, speaking to himself until he suddenly froze and crouched defensively.

Nicholas froze as well, wondering if the man had noticed his presence.

But Danny did not. Instead, the man looked about cautiously, as if making sure no one was watching him, and then straightened out while closing his eyes.

The next thing that happened took Nicholas by complete surprise. He gasped and covered his mouth.

A glowing ring of light appeared around the man's waist and split into two, intersecting his entire body from head to toe. And as it passed over him, his appearance transformed. Danny's uniform was replaced by a black jumpsuit with white gloves and boots; his body was haloed in a thin layer of white light; his hair turned from jet black to snow white, and, when his eyes opened, he revealed that they had changed colours from blue to glowing green.

Nicholas widened his eyes. "Oh, my gosh," he whispered in awe. "He's… he's Danny _Phantom!"_

Danny raised his head and grinned before crouching again and shooting up into the air. Nicholas watched in amazement as the man performed feats in his office, everything from turning invisible to going intangible, from flying to shooting ghost rays out the open window. He did flips and acrobatics without breaking a sweat and without breaking anything else, for that matter. He pretended to punch and kick the air, as though training with an invisible foe.

Nicholas was awestruck. Never had he expected to meet the ghost everyone spoke so highly about, and never had he expected that the ghost was in fact… a _human._

Danny dropped from the ceiling and landed silently on the floor before standing up straight again. He closed his eyes, sighed calmly and then reached over to his desk to grab some documents and his uniform jacket.

Nicholas did not notice that he was leaning too far forward; gasping softly, he lost his balance and took a step forward in order not to fall. Unfortunately, his foot knocked against the door and opened it.

Danny gasped loudly and swooped around to face the doorway, clutching his documents and jacket in his arms. He stared in pure horror at the man standing in his doorway.

Nicholas stood up straight and stared in silence at the ghost before him.

Danny remained in his frozen, horrified state a little longer before another glowing halo appeared around his waist and transformed him back to normal. Even then, he continued to stare in sheer terror at the man in the doorway.

Nicholas cleared his throat nervously and dared to speak up. "Uh, forgive me, Sir," he said. "But—!"

"How long were you standing there?" Danny asked incredibly urgently, almost as though he had not heard Nicholas speak.

Nicholas remained silent for a moment before answering. "Uh, not long," he replied, hoping it would do some good.

But it didn't. Danny's eyes only filled with more horror. Nicholas was immediately flooded with shame and nervously rubbed his neck. "I'm r-really sorry for intruding, Sir," he tried to apologize.

Danny finally made another move. He straightened out and immediately, his facial expression changed from horrified to disgust and anger. A large frown appeared over his brow and his eyes turned to blue ice.

Nicholas shrunk back and stared at him worriedly.

Danny glared furiously at him a little longer before storming towards him and violently brushing passed the cadet. Without another look at Nicholas, he turned into the corridor and dashed off.

Nicholas watched him leave and wondered if he should take chase. He was about to call out for him when someone spoke behind him.

"What did you see?"

Nicholas jumped in fright and swooped around. Standing before him was his uncle, Dr. Michael Johnson. A look of deep concern was on his face.

Nicholas sighed of relief. "Gosh, uncle, you scared the daylights out of me—!"

"What did you see, Nicholas?" Johnson asked urgently, ignoring Nicholas' words.

Nicholas stared at him in silence before nervously rubbing his arm. "Uh, nothing," he lied.

Johnson was not the least bit pleased. "Did you see him transform?" he asked.

"You _know _about it?" Nicholas exclaimed in shock.

Johnson shuddered and hastily clamped a hand over his nephew's mouth. He frowned worriedly. "Quiet!" he snapped. He waited to make sure no one was listening to them before releasing his hand from Nicholas' mouth. He sighed shakily and passed a hand over his head.

"Uncle, was that Danny Fenton?" Nicholas asked.

"His name is _Dr. _Fenton around here, Child," his uncle replied, turning in place.

"But he's Danny _Phantom, _and you knew it?"

Johnson glared at him. "I told you to be _quiet, _Nicholas!" he scolded again. "There are some things in this world that must be left alone, and _you _just stuck your nose into one of those things! Foolish young man; foolish!"

"But I didn't mean to see him do that, honest!" Nicholas replied.

Johnson looked at him and frowned softly. "Oh no?" he said. "Then I suppose you only _happened _to be standing there, spying on him, without doing so on your own terms?"

Nicholas remained silent and he stared at the floor in shame.

"Nicholas, I told your father that I would keep an eye on you here and keep you out of trouble," Johnson said, becoming concerned, "But in order to do that, you must first not stick your nose into somebody else's business! How many times must I tell you that?"

"But why do you know and no one else does?" Nicholas wondered.

Johnson was silent for a moment before sighing tiredly. "Because I am the only one he trusts with this secret, Nicholas," he said softly. "In a world where some people are out to destroy him, where his identity must be kept secret outside his town, Daniel needed another person to trust with such a heavy burden. So, after seeing my interest in ghost studies, he decided to share with me the secret he had needed to let out to someone." Johnson frowned again and pointed at Nicholas. "But you not only violated an important rule of respect at NASA, you also just angered him. That was uncalled for, Nicholas Stevenson, and you _know _it. It may just have put his _life _in danger! Did you ever think of that?"

Nicholas stared at his feet sadly before the intercom announced that the meeting in conference room 405 was about to begin. He looked again.

Johnson sighed once more and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Come on, lad," he said, walking him off. "Let's go to that meeting."


	4. Chapter 4

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**_ Sorry about the wait; uni's been crazy._

_Here's the chapter 4 to the story, gang! Hope you have fun reading it!_

* * *

When they entered the room, they found that nearly a dozen people were there. Nicholas knew that a space shuttle would never hold that many people, but they would probably do rounds when serving on it.

They all spoke to each other in excited whispers. Nicholas and Johnson came to a stop at the back of the crowd. "Your captain is a very honourable man, Nicholas," Johnson said softly, as though preparing him for the meeting. "When you address to him you _must _do so with great respect, especially now, unless he wishes to be spoken to casually."

These words made no sense to Nicholas whatsoever, but he had no time to dwell upon them before the director of NASA, veteran astronaut Lieutenant Jones walked onto the stage at the front of the room. Everyone fell silent and saluted him. Nicholas did the same, though his uncle did not.

The Lieutenant looked at them and nodded. "At ease," he said, as they lowered their arms. "Gentlemen and Ladies of NASA, you are gathered here in this conference room today for a very important meeting. It will be the very first like this, so I congratulate you for being chosen to be the first team to begin training for these types of missions." He paused for a moment to make sure everyone was listening. "You will be briefed about your training and the future missions by your captain, who will remain as your leader on every single one of these flights. He's an ace student here at NASA and the youngest man to be named as a captain, so I expect you all to treat him well, whether you are older than him or not. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded or muttered a soft "yessir".

Jones nodded in reply and looked to the other end of the room. "Without further ado," he began, "… Please step forth, Dr. Fenton."

Nicholas' eyes went horribly wide at these words, and he nearly had a heart attack when the man he had spied on stepped out of a dark corner and walked towards the stage. Danny, now dressed in full uniform, walked professionally up to the stage, keeping his eyes forward and not staring at anyone until he had reached the podium. There, he saluted the director, took the documents which Jones passed to him, and turned to look at the new recruits. He placed his hands behind him. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," he said with a small grin.

Some people nodded or replied by "good afternoon, Sir."

"My name is Dr. Daniel Fenton," Danny continued. "But most people prefer to call me Danny. While on the shuttle, though, you will refer to me as Captain or Dr. Fenton." He walked to another corner. "I am honoured to be the leader of the first crew for these missions, and I hope you will all come to enjoy me…" He paused for a moment and cracked another grin. "I may look serious, but honestly, it's just show. Trust me, I'm a nervous wreck."

People chuckled.

"Just being up here is making me hot."

More giggles.

Danny cleared his throat and looked down at his documents. "These types of missions usually ask for four to six people at a time, and perhaps a few others who will act as their workers," he began. "We will become a crew, sort of like a family, you might say, and it will remain that way until either you retire, I retire, or we all die."

Some people laughed hysterically at this, even Danny. After everything was calm, he continued: "The missions are to not only gather samples on the moon or go gather information at the spacestation, but they will also be about taking risks. I've developed equipment that you will all train in, just as I had to. These things will allow us to gather better information and find samples from not only the moon, but from stars and other planets." He smiled cleverly. "And, considering what kind of family I come from, we will also be gathering information about creatures that no one could ever properly study…" He raised an eyebrow. "_Ghosts."_

Nicholas was slightly taken aback by this, as well as some of the other astronauts in the room.

Danny nodded while closing his eyes. "I know, I know; you're all probably thinking that either I or NASA have lost our minds," he said, making a few people laugh again. "But I assure you that this is the real deal. Ghosts _have _been proven to exist outside our planet's atmosphere, but even though they are not the main objective of our missions, we will be asked to gather any kind of information about them as needed. The information about ghosts that you gather will be given and analyzed by Dr. Michael Johnson, the head of our research labs here at NASA." Danny grinned. "I hope this will all be an adventure for you guys," he said. "I know that it will be for me."

With that, he pulled out another sheet of paper and leaped off of the stage. He walked into the crowd of astronauts, who began to surround him. "Okay, folks; now's the time to see where you'll all be fitting in with me," he announced. "Each person here is assigned a position, and this will be the position you are in until you decide to leave the team of shuttle B-614. Many of you will be sharing posts, considering you will all be rotating missions."

He raised the paper to his eyes. "Melissa Krahn and Jeffery Godard," he called out, "You two will be in charge of the radar computers."

"Yessir!" two voices replied firmly in the crowd.

"Arthur McCarthy and David Tsuki, you two are in charge of the main computer system."

"Yessir!"

"Lisa Montgomery and Judy Lance, you two are at head supply duty. When we're outside working hours on end, we need to keep up our energy and make sure all of our supplies are up to date. You two will also be in charge of making sure the medical cabinets are well stocked and cared for. Clear?"

"Yes, Captain," a woman announced while the other saluted.

"Lancer Erickson, you'll be in charge of the map and directions."

"Yessir," a man replied.

Danny looked at his list again. "Jacob Robinson and Martha Stewart, you two will be the head medical examiners," he said, pointing at the two people. "Big job, guys; if anyone gets sick I'm counting on your expertise to bring them back to full health, and if not, find a way to get them back home."

Danny continued going down the entire list until everyone in the room had been named and assigned a job. Only one position remained, and only one name left.

Danny looked at the final name and breathed a heavy sigh. "And our last and most important position," he said, "My co-pilot and second in command. This job can only be filled by one man, and according to this, the smartest of the pack." He raised his head and scanned the crowd. "Uh, Dr. Nicholas Stevenson," he announced.

Nicholas froze, partially in sheer excitement of being picked for this position, and partially out of sheer horror. But after his uncle gave him a firm push forward, he raised his head and walked up to the front of the crowd. "Uh, here, Sir," he said softly.

Danny looked at him, and almost instantly, his face filled with shock and disbelief. He fell incredibly silent and stared at the man who had just been spying on him.

Nicholas tried not to show his anxiety. He raised his head and saluted Danny. "You can count on me, Sir," he said.

But the look in Danny's eyes did not say the same as Nicholas' words. In fact, if they were saying anything at the moment, it was "I'm putting _my _life into _your _hands?"

Danny remained mute a while longer before quickly turning away and walking back to the stage. "Uh, session closed," he muttered. "You are all dismissed."

The room immediately filled with excited whispers as the astronauts left while speaking about their positions. The only two that remained behind were Nicholas and his uncle.

Johnson walked up to his nephew and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am certain you will do well, boy," he whispered.

"Well?" Nicholas scoffed. "Uncle, did you see how he _looked _at me? He was probably hoping never to see my face again. And now I'm going to be working with him on every mission."

"Trust is never an easy thing to build," Johnson agreed. "But you must begin somewhere."

Nicholas looked at him in silent until he heard upset whispers outside the meeting room. He and Johnson stared out the door before walking over to it and looking down the hallway.

At the other end, near the doors that were closest to the stage, stood Lieutenant Jones and Captain of shuttle B-614: Danny Fenton.

Jones and Danny were quietly arguing about a matter Nicholas was certain had his name written all over it.

Johnson looked at his nervous nephew and then urged him to walk with him as they started for the two men.

"It's got to be a mixup," Danny whispered, upset.

"There was no mixup, Daniel," Jones replied. "We assigned each person according to their specialties."

"Specialties? Sir, begging your pardon, but anyone can be my co-pilot!"

"Not anyone on these missions."

"I demand a recount!"

Jones frowned. "Danny, what's been decided has been decided!" he whispered harshly. "Nicholas is one of our brightest students! He's flown planes since he was thirteen years old! His father was an astronaut before him! He's the _best _man for this job, so be the Captain you were assigned to be and accept it!"

"I can't _work _with him!" Danny snapped softly behind his teeth. "I can't work with room peepers!"

Once close enough, Johnson cleared his throat to catch their attention. Jones and Danny looked up in his direction.

"Is there a problem here, Sirs?" the scientist wondered.

Nicholas did not bother to look at Danny. He was afraid the man was staring at him with another icy glare.

Jones stood up straight. "Not anymore, there isn't," he replied with his Southern accent.

Danny shot a concerned look at his boss. Jones frowned in reply. "Dr. Fenton, I will not repeat myself," he said sternly. "The choice is final. Unless something horribly wrong occurs, the positions will remain unchanged. Am I clear?"

Danny opened his mouth to object, but another stern look from his director caused him to rethink his words and remain silent. He sighed. "Yessir," he replied quietly.

"Good." The Lieutenant saluted him, causing Danny to stomp his foot and salute back. Then, he looked at Johnson and nodded. "They're your problem now, Doctor," he muttered in the man's ear before walking off.

Johnson smiled amusingly before looking at Danny. He tilted his head slightly. "Is there a problem, Daniel?" he wondered. "You seem a bit shaken up a little earlier."

Danny remained silent. He simply crossed his arms and frowned softly.

Johnson chuckled. "I've seen that look before," he said. "You're not happy about something, and you refuse to go down without a fight."

Danny raised his eyebrows slightly before they fell back into the shape of a frown again.

"The question is, though, is this worth fighting for?"

Danny scoffed sarcastically and glared at Nicholas. "You tell me," he said dryly.

Nicholas looked away shamefully.

"Daniel, I know you must be upset," Johnson said gently, placing a hand on Nicholas' shoulder, "But the Lieutenant is right; you will eventually learn to work with my nephew—!"

"Work _with _him?" Danny interrupted, not the least bit impressed. "Excuse my behaviour, Doctor, but after all I've been through, I've come to learn never to trust a spy."

"I assure you, Nicholas is no spy—!"

"Then explain to me how he magically ended up on the other side of my door when I transformed!" Danny snapped impatiently, spreading his arms out wide. He shook his papers in the man's direction. "I _don't _trust spies, and I _don't _trust liars. Those are the kinds of guys that land me in fights for my life!"

Nicholas finally decided to speak up. He raised his head and looked at Danny. "I won't tell anyone," he said softly.

Danny looked at him and remained silent.

"I swear it. I won't tell anyone who you are."

Danny held his silence a little longer before laughing sarcastically and grinning wryly. "Of _course _you won't," he said sardonically.

"Daniel, I can assure you that my nephew always keeps his words," Johnson said gently. "He will not tell a soul of your secret identity."

"You know what, Doctor? I'd _really _like to believe that," Danny replied, pointing his papers at the scientist. "But unfortunately, he decided to peek, and because of that, he's going to have a really _hard _time rebuilding my trust."

"I understand, but he will remain silent."

Danny frowned in reply and shook his head. "I can't just take those words, Sir," he said softly yet seriously. "Since I was fourteen, I could never trust those words from anyone except three people. Anyone else who discovered it before I told my parents, I tried to trust, but it only landed me in a heap of trouble, either with a ghost hunter, or with a ghost who wanted to kill me." He pointed at himself. "If you've been in my situation, you'd understand. I'm not wanted on either sides of the line, Dr. Johnson. I was a nobody in highschool, and I'm a villain in the Ghost Zone."

"You are neither, Daniel," Johnson insisted. "Look at you now; if you were a nobody, would you be the Captain of shuttle B-614?"

Danny fell silent. He looked down at the documents in his hands.

"And if you were a villain, why are there certain ghosts who have befriended you while you were searching for your physical body, those five long years? I do believe recalling you mentioning that."

Again, Danny was silent.

"You are a hero, Danny; an astronaut. You can't continue to bear this secret alone and not trust certain people."

Danny shook his head and looked at the man again. "You don't understand, Dr. Johnson," he said. "My life, my powers, my _family, _is put on the line when I place my trust in the hands of some stranger. My best friend, my wife and my _son, _whom I didn't know existed until a few months ago, have nearly lost their lives because of the mistakes I've done." Worry filled his eyes, "I can't just place the secret of my powers into the hands of someone who deliberately spied on me. I could be putting the people I care for in _danger."_

"Not this time, Child," Johnson reassured him. "Nicholas may be curious, but he's certainly trustworthy. This, I can assure you with the upmost respect."

Danny was quiet again. He looked pensively at his mentor before looking at Nicholas again. His eyes studied him deeply.

Nicholas remained as still as he could.

Danny rubbed his chin thoughtfully before looking at Johnson again. "Promise?" he asked quietly.

"You have my word, Daniel," Jonson replied with a nod.

Danny stared at him a little longer before looking at Nicholas again. Finally, he nodded, but very weakly. "Alright," he said softly. "I'll trust your word."

Johnson nodded and looked at Nicholas. Nicholas grinned weakly in return after taking a deep breath. He looked at Danny. "I promise never to let anyone know, Sir," he said.

Danny remained silent.

"And I'll be the best co-pilot you could have."

At these words, Danny's eyes turned to ice again. He frowned softly at this and removed his hand from his chin. "_That, _will be up to me to decide," he said dryly. He leaned towards Nicholas, taking the man by surprise. "Don't think you're off the hook yet, Einstein," he whispered coolly. "I still don't trust you. If you want to gain my trust, you'll need to follow my every order to the letter, and think the way I think. And believe me…" His eyes narrowed. "A ghost doesn't think like a human."

Nicholas held his breath and nodded.

"Make sure you remember that," Danny added. "You're walking on thin ice, and if you break your word, the hole you'll fall in will be _very _deep."

"Understood, Sir," Nicholas replied meekly while nodding again.

Danny looked him in the eye before pulling himself away again. He cleared his throat. "I need to go pack up to return home," he said, more or less to Johnson. He nodded politely at the scientist before walking passed them. "I'll see you in a week."

Johnson and Nicholas watched him walk off before Nicholas sighed and rubbed his neck. "He hates my guts," he muttered.

"If he does, then it is of your doing, Nicholas," Johnson replied sternly. "Think twice next time you see a door partially opened, is that clear?"

"Yessir."


	5. Chapter 5

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**_ There's some Danny and Tucker bonding in here. I really like to emphasize on their friendship, considering the show litterally third-wheeled Tucker by the third season, which I didn't like at all. Tucker's matured. Just as Danny has._

_On another note, readers, I appreciate all the comments.. I read all of them, I really do. But for those who are begging me to update faster, please stop. University comes first, and of the websites, deviantart comes before FF. That would be why I update my PnF stories there more often than here. _

_Anyway, on with the story^^  
_

_

* * *

_

Amity Park was sitting through another mild November day. Though the temperature had dropped since September, there was still no snow on the ground, and it had not even reached the minus double digits yet.

The afternoon had been long for Andy, as he eagerly awaited the end of the day to return home and wait for his father. His Uncle Tucker had been there all day, installing the new program he designed into the Fentons' Ghost Portal computer. Sam had needed to go to work, and only finished when it was time to pick up her son from school.

They had dinner together at home with Tucker and spoke about the day's events. Andy, again, chewed and swallowed his food quickly.

"Andy, your father said to chew _slowly,"_ Sam said sternly.

Andy looked at her. "But I wanna be finished before Daddy gets back," he said.

Tucker chuckled softly while cutting his steak. "You want to be alive too, don't you?" he wondered.

Andy looked at him. "Yeah, but—!"

"If you eat too fast, Andy, you'll either choke to death or get a serious case of hiccups," Sam added. "Now chew _properly."_

Andy sighed and did what he was told. Sam sat back down in her seat and continued to mix her vegetables. "Are you sure you didn't want any peas, Tucker?" she asked.

Tucker swallowed the meat in his mouth. "We are _not _going over this again, Sam," he muttered.

"Tucker, you can't actually just eat _meat _for the rest of your life."

"And _you _can't just keep eating _vegetables."_

"Come _on, _Tucker!"

Tucker looked up at her with a soft frown. "I had your mashed potatoes," he said. "That's it. I draw the line there. Anything else and it's poison."

Sam rolled her eyes tiredly. "Tucker, can't you just _try _them?" she asked.

Tucker cut some more meat. "If I do, will you eat a whole _steak?"_

Sam fell silent.

"That's what I thought."

Andy giggled behind his hand. Both Sam and Tucker looked up at him when he did. "What's so funny?" Tucker wondered.

Andy pointed at them. "You guys are," he said. "If you ask me, Daddy's the only normal one out of you guyses."

"How's that?" Sam asked while raising an eyebrow.

"He eats meat _and _veggies. You guys are only half there. You're worst halfas than he is!"

Sam wrinkled her nose while Tucker nearly choked on his food while laughing.

The sound of the doorknob turning caught their attention. When they looked up, they saw the door swing open. In walked Danny, carrying his luggage in one hand and some blueprints in the other. He kicked the door closed behind him.

"Daddy!" Andy exclaimed happily, kneeling in his seat and spreading his arms out wide. "You're back home!"

Danny looked up at them. "Yes, I am," he said. He looked at Tucker. "Hey, Tuck. Still eating just meat?"

"Thirty years strong, dude," Tucker replied with a wink. "Save some potatoes here and there."

"Must have been an interesting evening for Andy, then; Mom eats greens and Uncle eats meat."

"Apparently, _you're _the normal one," Sam added sarcastically, pointing her fork at Danny.

Danny nodded subconsciously, as though he was not paying attention to her. He wiped his shoes off and headed for the stairs. "I'll be back down in a second," he said. "I need to, uh, go put these away in the study room."

"Aren't you gonna tell us how everything went?" Tucker wondered.

Danny laughed sarcastically as he walked up the stairs. "You are _not _gonna believe me," he replied.

Tucker stared at the entrance for a moment before looking at Sam. "I've got a feeling something went wrong," he said.

* * *

It took several minutes before Danny returned downstairs. Instead of his NASA uniform and jacket, which he had removed, he was wearing his trademark red and white t-shirt with the letter D on the chest. His uniform pants remained on his legs.

Sam and Tucker were standing in the living room, waiting for him, while Andy played some video games on the television.

Danny walked around the corner and headed for his best friends.

"Did something happen at NASA?" Sam asked quietly.

"You look pretty uneasy about something, dude," Tucker added.

Danny sighed and passed a hand through his hair. The bangs sprung back over his forehead once his hand passed over them. He settled his hand on the back of his neck before looking at Tucker. "_Pretty _is a pretty shallow word for it, Tucker," he said.

Tucker and Sam shared a concerned look before looking at Danny again.

Danny remained silent for a moment longer before speaking again. "We've got a problem," he announced. "More specifically, _I've _got a problem. A really _big _one."

"What kind of problem?" Sam asked, frowning worriedly.

Danny passed a hand over his mouth, took a deep breath and turned in a circle while grasping his hair.

"Danny, if you're freaking out about something, just _tell _us."

Danny looked at her, kept his hands in his hair before placing them on his hips. "I met someone," he said. "A new recruit. In a very… _unexpected _way." He looked about before frowning in frustration and leaning towards his best friends. "And just _guess _what he found _out!"_ he snapped harshly yet incredibly quietly.

Sam and Tucker did not need to guess. Sheer horror filled their widening eyes. Sam covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh, _snap,"_ Tucker muttered.

Danny nodded quickly and leaned back. "He was _spying,"_ he said, crossing his arms. "He saw that my office _door _was open a crack and decided to peak!" Danny spread out his arms. "And just when I was _transforming!"_

Tucker placed a hand over his mouth this time.

"Who was it?" Sam asked urgently.

Danny looked at her. "Dr. Johnson's nephew," he said. "Dr. Nicholas Stevenson. He's apparently one of NASA's brightest newbies."

"What did you do?"

"Dr. Johnson promised me that Nicholas would keep his mouth shut, but I can't be too careful. I've met people who broke their words before; and he's got _troublemaker _written all _over _him!"

Tucker took a deep breath. "Well, at least Dr. Johnson's word is trustworthy," he said.

Danny laughed sarcastically. "Oh, you don't know the _best _part, Tucker," he said acerbically. Danny frowned gravely and pointed out the window. "He was one of the new recruits for my crew, and of _all _the positions he's got, he was chosen to be my _co-pilot!"_

Tucker widened his eyes in shock and then placed a hand over them. "Ho boy," he sighed.

"I tried to get my boss to switch positions, but he said that the decision was final! So I'Ve gotta work with a door peeper and a _spy!"_

Sam placed her hands on Danny's shoulders. "Slow down, Danny; you don't know if he's all that bad," she said. "Maybe he _can _be trustworthy. You just need to get to know him—!"

"The last time I tried to get to _know _someone like that, Sam, he turned out to be my arch nemesis, and a guy who was crazy on killing my dad and marrying my mom!" Danny replied dryly, brushing Sam's hands off of him.

"Not _all _people are like Vlad, Danny."

"No; but not _all _people are trustworthy, either!"

Sam rolled her eyes with a sigh and shook her head. "Danny, you can't judge a book by its cover, remember?" she said. "Just like Gregor, that guy I went out with for a few weeks back in high school. You thought that he was a spy for the Guys in White, when he was really just a normal guy—!"

"_Normal?"_ Tucker scoffed. "Sam, he was a guy from Michigan who pretended to be a foreign exchange student from overseas, a fake _goth, _who just wanted to get hooked with you!"

Sam glared at him. "Not the _point, _Tucker!" she snapped. She looked at Danny. "The point is that you misjudged him. What if this Nicholas isn't a bad guy? What if he's really a great astronaut that you can trust?"

Danny pointed at himself. "The only one who will be deciding that, Sam, is me," he said. "He already stuck his nose into my business, discovered my secret, and if he accidentally lets it out, I may be in a lot more trouble than just losing my job. So he'll remain untrustworthy until I say so."

Sam sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Then all I can say is be careful," she replied. "If he really is a suspect, then be on your guard. But if he's not, don't say I didn't say so!"

Her husband waved an arm through the air before turning away. "Yeah, yeah," he said. He walked to the stairs. "I'm gonna get the blueprints for the ship ready. I need to go over a few things before I go back next Sunday." He stopped on the second step and looked at Tucker. "Uh, we still up for finishing the Ghost Portal tomorrow?" he asked. "I sorta promised Andy that we'd get it done together before I leave again."

Tucker smiled and winked. "Don't worry, Danny; my day is still reserved for you guys, so expect me here in the morning!" he said, giving the thumbs up.

"Thanks." With that, Danny continued on his way.

Tucker waited until he had heard the door upstairs close before letting his smile die away. He looked at Sam with worried eyes. "He's gonna be in a bad mood until he's sure this guy's okay, isn't he?" he said.

"You know Danny, Tuck," Sam replied with a shake of her head. "When you've been on the wanted list, you tend to get antsy about people."

"You think it'll turn out okay?"

"Well, if Dr. Johnson trusts his nephew, why _wouldn't _it?" She crossed her arms and sighed. "But that's not up to us; it's up to Danny. It _is _pretty serious if the guy was curious and discovered his secret identity. If this got out to the world again, Danny's never gonna hear the end of it." She looked at the stairs. "For now, all we can do is trust Danny's instincts."

"Last I checked, that always came with a '_warning; danger ahead' _label."

"The downside of being his best friends."

Tucker sighed and crossed his arms. "I just hope things turn out good before they get ugly… for Danny, that is," he muttered.

* * *

As promised, Danny and Andy helped Tucker put together the final pieces of the Ghost Portal. Tucker came over around ten in the morning, and waited until Danny had finished going over the blueprints once more before heading downstairs to finish up the portal.

But while Andy and Tucker chattered excitedly about finishing the project, Danny's mind was elsewhere, namely on the mission he would have to take on within two weeks. The first week back at NASA would involve him overlooking the final training, and the week after that, he and his crew would fly to NASA's Launch site, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and begin their first mission.

What bothered him was the fact that he would be working with someone that worried him. With a secret as important as Danny Phantom, Danny could not risk having it let out to the world. And working with someone who threatened his secret, as well as his privacy, was making him incredibly nervous. Even the thought of it was causing his heart to stop beating every now and then.

By that same evening, they had managed to finish half of what they wanted to accomplish. After Sam had finished cleaning the dinner table, she settled down and played a few video games with her son before bedtime.

Tucker took the opportunity to go upstairs to the study room, where his best friend was.

He knocked on the door softly before opening it. "Danny?" he said, peering inside.

Danny looked up from the office chair he was sitting in, a telephone receiver in his hand against his ear.

Tucker crouched for a moment. "Op, sorry," he said, creeping in softly. "I'll wait."

Danny remained silent before looking down at the blueprints before him. "Yeah, make sure the third rocket is working properly," he spoke into the receiver. "The last time I took it up, back in October, B-614's main thruster seemed a little off. If you can… that would be great…" He grabbed a pencil and wrote something down. "Yeah, and while you're at it, could you check that leak in the oxygen tanks? I could have sworn… No, there was definitely a leak… Of course I'm sure. She's my shuttle, John… Okay, and if there is one, just let me know, and we can decide what to do with it when I come back on Monday… Okay, the rest of the details I'll give to the Lieutenant… Okay, thanks a lot, John… Bye."

He hung up the receiver and continued writing something down. "Just finishing something up," he said to his best friend.

"No worries, Dan," Tucker replied, waiting by the bookshelves. "I can wait."

Danny finished what he was doing and stood up. "The engineers are putting new additions to B-614," he announced as Tucker walked over. "Some upgrades I suggested. They tested them out on no-man shuttles, and so far, they seem to work to NASA's benefit. We'll be the first team to go up with the upgrades on a man mission."

"Sounds sweet," Tucker agreed, leaning against the desk. He looked at the blueprint. It showed the shuttle in question, every piece on the inside and out. "She's a beaut, I'll give you that," he added. "They really gave you the prize, Danny."

"Yeah," Danny replied. "She's real nice. Lieutenant Jones wants me to give her a name, but I'm not sure what, yet."

"How about the _Phantom?"_

Danny raised an eyebrow and looked at his best friend. Tucker chuckled. "I know, I know," he said. "Too obvious."

"Not to mention _way _off the idea of Space Shuttle," Danny replied. He looked down at the blueprints. "I was thinking maybe something like… um, _Spirit_ or something."

Tucker laughed. "And you said _I _was too obvious," he teased.

"At least it's better than _Phantom,"_ Danny pointed out. He thought for a moment before looking at Tucker. "I like it. Spirit could mean several things. It could mean adventurous, lively, strength, life-force—!"

"—or ghost, ghost or maybe even… _ghost!"_ Tucker finished. He giggled childishly.

Danny punched him in the shoulder. "I can't help it, it's who I am," he said. He looked at the blueprints again as his grin faded away. "… Literally. It's… who I am…"

Tucker sighed and placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "I'm sure nothing worse will happen, Danny," he said. "He may have peeked, but maybe Sam's right; maybe this Nicholas guy _is _okay."

"But what if he _isn't, _Tucker?" Danny said worriedly. "What if he'll blackmail me or something? What if this could be a trap, and I could be putting you and Sam and… Andy… in danger?"

"Sam and I don't care what happens, Danny," Tucker explained. "We've been through too much without you. As for Andy… he doesn't care either. He's five years old and he already knows how to control his powers better than you could at fourteen."

"He's more confident than I am, that's why," Danny replied. "He doesn't get nervous as easily as I do, and he doesn't think about the worst. He's so confident, so cheerful, so—!"

As he spoke, his arms turned intangible and phased through the top of the desk. Danny yelped in surprise and fell against the desk with a groan.

Tucker laughed before placing his arms around Danny's waist. "He's a lot more in _control,_" he said, pulling his best friend back up. Once Danny had returned his arms to normal, Tucker continued. "If you keep worrying about this, Danny, your emotions will give your powers away. And then you won't be able to blame anyone but yourself."

Danny sighed and placed his head in his hands. "I'm just so _ticked off _that someone would even _dare _to spy on me," he groaned. "I can't believe he had the nerve to _do _that! One of NASA's rules is _respect your co-workers and teammates._ How could he have done that?"

"The funny thing about humans, Danny, is that we have this little itch in the back of our heads," Tucker replied. "It's called _curiosity._ Ever heard of the saying _curiosity killed the cat?"_

"Oh, it'll _kill, _alright," Danny said dryly. "But not a cat. Just an astronaut."

"Okay_,_ _someone's_ been planning this _too _well," Tucker said nervously, placing his hands on Danny's shoulders. "Danny, you have _got _to calm down. If you keep freaking out about what horrible things could happen, it'll just make it all the worse for you. You need to be _calm, _okay? When you go back to NASA, just take a deep breath and try to keep your cool while you watch over things. Maybe Sam's right; maybe Nicholas just needs to show you how good a worker he could be."

Danny sighed and stared at his feet. "Maybe," he said, "But it stills worries me."

"I didn't say that it _wouldn't; _I just said that it could _ruin _you if you let your emotions run out of control again. Just take a deep breath and everything will be fine—!"

Suddenly, Danny's entire body turned intangible, thus causing Tucker's to do the same. Both men fell through the desk with shouts of surprise and tumbled onto the floor.

"… Maybe you should take _ten_ deep breaths," Tucker corrected himself after a pause. "Like, right _now."_

"Sounds good to me," Danny replied casually.


	6. Chapter 6

The week went by quickly, and soon, Danny found himself back in Texas, dressed once more in his uniform, walking up to the front doors of the Johnson Space Center. Tucker had decided to refrain from finishing the portal until Danny's return, stating that it would help keep his spirits up until then.

While Danny had tried to forget about the new astronaut, Nicholas tried not to; in fact, he did whatever he could to make it up to his new captain while Danny was back home.

He did some training, he learned every part of the space shuttle B-614 by heart, he practiced learning how to fly it in case his captain could not, and he studied harder than any other NASA worker.

Johnson noticed it, and so did Lieutenant Jones.

"He's doing all that he can to get on Daniel's good side," Johnson noted that Monday morning, as he and his boss watched from a distance as Nicholas ran errands in the lobby.

"He's a persevering bugger, I'll give ya that," Jones agreed. "But I still don't understand why Danny's so teed off at the kid. He just peeked, right? I mean, it _is _violating the respect policy we have, but what was Daniel doin' in his office that was so top secret?"

Johnson chuckled softly, trying to cover his anxiety. "Oh, you know Daniel," he said. "He enjoyed his solitude, remember?"

"Right; he was the lone astronaut when he first came here. His personality off duty at NASA is a heckova lot different than the one he's got while he's _on_ duty."

Johnson turned away for a moment and quickly sighed of relief. It had not been an easy thing for him to hide Danny's secret from their director.

Johnson looked at the entrance. "Speaking of which, here comes the captain now," he said.

When Jones looked up, he saw Danny walk into the lobby, arms filled with blueprints, data folders, conference papers and a suitcase.

"He sure knows how to pack up," Jones noted. "I wonder what he does on his free time at Amity Park?"

"His parents are Ghost Hunters; his wife's an environmentalist, and his best friend is the mayor of the city," Johnson said with a chuckle. "And he has a five-year-old son at school. If you ask me, I think Daniel hardly _has _a moment of free time."

Jones chuckled softly before they continued to watch Nicholas. The astronaut made a delivery to the secretary and handed her an envelope. The woman nodded once he explained what it is and walked into the back room.

"What's that?" Jones wondered.

"Some samples I wanted him to pick up for me," Johnson replied. "They flew in from the Kennedy Launch site this morning, so I wanted Nicholas to trade in the data files for the samples."

The secretary returned with the package and handed it to Nicholas, who nodded and said thank you.

"But he's been so busy with his training and studying Daniel's shuttle inside out, he only had time to do it now."

"At least he's doin' somethin' that shouldn't bother Danny _too _much," Jones noted.

Nicholas turned to walk off; but unbeknownst to him, Danny had reached the front desk. So when Nicholas turned around, he bumped straight into his captain, causing Danny to stumble backwards and drop all of his papers to the floor. Nicholas backed into the desk and nearly dropped the box he was carrying.

Johnson covered his mouth.

"Or, it could just make it _worse,"_ Jones sighed tiredly while rolling his eyes.

* * *

Nicholas stared in sheer horror at his captain. Danny, on the other hand, glared irritably at him before getting down to the floor and picking everything up.

"I-I'm so sorry, Sir," Nicholas apologized, putting his box down before squatting and gathering a few of Danny's papers. "I didn't see you there, honest."

"Of course not," Danny muttered coolly without looking up. "I was probably _invisible, _is that it?"

"N-no, Sir, I just didn't expect to see you there… Here, let me help you—!"

"No _thank _you," Danny interrupted, snatching the documents from Nicholas' hands. He piled them all together in an unorganized heap, stuffed them under his arm and picked up his blueprints. Then, he grabbed the handle of his suitcase and stood up. Without looking at Nicholas again, he stormed off to the elevators.

Nicholas watched him leave before sighing and passing a hand over his face.

* * *

Danny spent the rest of the afternoon reorganizing his things in his office. He did not care, really; it gave him some time to cool off and take a few breaths. He enjoyed being alone because it allowed him to focus on the tasks he had to accomplish.

Not on the people around him.

A soft knock fell over his door, but Danny did not answer it or look up. So the door opened slowly and quietly and Johnson peered in. "Danny?" he announced.

Danny froze in fright and cried out before turning around and facing the door. He had transformed into ghost form, which was why he was so startled to see his mentor there.

Johnson recoiled and then chuckled. "Calm down, it's just me," he replied, closing and locking the door behind him. "I'm sorry I startled you, Boy."

Danny sighed and relaxed his muscles before turning back to the work at his desk.

"Why have you transformed?"

"I was… planning on going flying as soon as I finished this," Danny replied, placing everything in their rightful folder or binder. "Just to cool off before hitting the sack."

"I suppose that's reasonable," Johnson acknowledged, just noticing that all the blinds in the room were shut. "Though you should listen more closely to the door; what if it had been the Lieutenant knocking on it instead of me?"

"Then, he would _kill _me," Danny muttered, writing something down. "You know how much he hates Danny Phantom." For many years, Danny had known the reason why his boss had such a grudge against ghosts and why he had acknowledged Danny's idea for the special missions.

"Yes, unfortunately I do," Johnson said softly, sitting on the bed. "Which gives you a very good reason to remain as _Danny Fenton _while working on some last minute duties. Is that clear?"

"Yessir."

"Good… then revert back now, please."

Danny sighed with a grin and transformed back to normal before looking over his shoulder. "Happy?" he asked.

Johnson smiled back. "Very," he said. As Danny turned back to his work, he continued. "I don't mean to be a nag, Child, or another copy of your _sister, _as you normally say…" This made Danny chuckle. "… But it _would _be a lot safer for you if you did not transform when the time did not call for it."

Danny continued to write things down. "I know, I know," he replied quietly.

"Then if someone else _peeked, _they would not see what you do not want them to see."

At these words, Danny stopped what he was doing and fell incredibly silent.

Johnson waited to see if the man would say anything, but after several seconds, all Danny did was continue to write. The scientist sighed. "Daniel, you do realize that part of the reason Nicholas saw you was because you deliberately left your door slightly open _and _decided to transform in broad daylight, right?" he said gently.

"I don't care if I left the door wide _open _with a sign on it that said _enter,"_ Danny replied dryly as a frown settled over his brow. "He decided to peek, and that's violating my privacy and respect."

"Nicholas is a good man at heart, Danny, if _only _you gave him a chance to prove it," Johnson said.

Danny turned around in his seat. "If you haven't noticed, Doctor, I've got _ghost _powers," he pointed out. "If I trust the wrong guy, I could be sent to some government lab for testing or dumped into the Ghost Zone again. Or even worse, a bad guy could _kill _me. Isn't that clear enough for you?"

"It does not mean that you cannot give my nephew a chance to show his loyalty."

Danny remained silent for a moment before turning and continuing to write. "He'll get his chance when he trains," he said. "And once we're on the mission. I need to be one _hundred _percent sure that I can trust him, Dr. Johnson. I don't like to be the bad guy, but I _need _to be sure." He stopped writing and placed his cheek in his hand. "If the world discovers my secret, I can be in serious danger. I _have _to know that Nicholas can be trusted with this secret, and the way to begin that is to see how well he manages my orders."

Johnson sighed softly and stood up. "I understand your decision, Danny," he said gently.

"I don't _want _to be mean," Danny added. "I just want to stay safe. When he peeked, I felt like I was being forced into a corner." His eyes darkened as he stared at the blinds over his windows. "I feel… trapped… scared… I don't _want _to feel like that, Dr. I want to _know _that I can trust people, but everyone else that's accidentally discovered my secret, turned against me. The only two who didn't were two people from high school, one who Tucker and Sam's been able to successfully blackmail, and another who still has a crush on me because I've got superpowers." Danny sighed heavily as sadness and fear settled into his eyes. "People may _seem _like they can handle secrets this big and accept them, but only a handful of the world's population is aware of their value and the consequences that can follow if the secret is not kept confidential. I'm lucky my two best friends and my sister happened to be three of those people. If it hadn't been for them, I don't think I would have survived high school with my abilities."

Johnson walked up to him as he spoke and gently placed a hand on his pupil's shoulder. Danny turned his head a little in order to see him. "You… understand that, right?" he asked very quietly.

"I do," Johnson said compassionately. "It is not an easy thing to live in a world where the slightest mistake you make can threaten your future." He smiled warmly and patted the man's shoulder before pulling himself away and walking towards the exit. "But promise me you won't be too hard on my nephew," he said. "Nicholas _is _a very good worker; he's just had the tendency of disobeying rules here and there when he was a child."

"I'll… I'll try to be easy…"

Johnson opened the door and slipped outside. "Tomorrow, a new day begins," he said. "Good night, Daniel."

"…Goodnight," Danny said quietly, but the door had already closed.

* * *

_

_**Author's note**__: That's right. Danny's boss doesn't know about his secret, nor does he like Danny Phantom. In fact, DP happens to be the reason why Jones acknowledged Danny's idea of Special Missions for NASA when he was still a student._

_But that's an entire story on it's own, so you guys will have to wait until then before getting the answers ;)_


	7. Chapter 7

The new day did began, and like usual, Nicholas found himself in the Space Center cafeteria for breakfast. Most of it was occupied by the students or astronauts in training, but there were a few tables reserved for the employees.

Nicholas sighed and made his way past the students to his table. There, his fellow crewmates were already seated, chattering away while eating their meal.

"These tests for the special missions are a lot trickier than the ones for normal astronauts," Lancer announced, pointing his fork at one of his crewmates. "It's hard to keep track of all those maps and stuff."

"You really need to know what the heck you're doin'," Jeffery added, chewing on some eggs. "Kinda makes you wonder what kind of responsibilities the Captain's got."

"I am _totally _psyched to have been picked for this, man," Jacob said excitedly. "Not only are we going to be the first astronauts to embark on a mission like this, but we've got one of the best astronauts as our Captain." He pointed at Lancer, just as Nicholas joined them. "_I _heard that Dr. Fenton was a D average student in high school, but he knew NASA's systems inside and out, he knew how to work a _space shuttle, _and he's a wiz at flying! Can you believe it? A D average student! And he's one of NASA's youngest and smartest astronauts!"

"Not to mention one of the cutest," Melissa added, stirring her soup.

Lisa swallowed her food and pointed her toast at her shipmate. "Sorry, girl; he's already married," she said. "I heard he's even got a kid."

"Didn't he go missing for five years?"

"Apparently, he and his wife did you-know-what before he left."

Some of the astronauts chuckled softly. Nicholas only went straight to beginning his breakfast and remained silent.

Lancer looked at him. "Hey, Nick," he said. "What do you think about the Captain?" he asked.

Nicholas looked at him. "What?"

"What do you think about this Danny Fenton?"

Nicholas turned back to his food. "It's Dr. Fenton or Captain, Lancer," he said. "You heard him last week."

"But what do you think about him?"

Arthur leaned over the table. "Isn't he awesome?" he asked with a grin. "He's gonna be such a fun guy to work for, I know it!"

"Isn't it sweet how he's a great pilot already?"

Nicholas looked at them in turn before looking at his food. "He's just… real good at flying, that's all," he said. "He's done a bunch of practice."

David playfully nudged his shoulder. "Come on, Nicholas!" he insisted. "You're going to be his co-pilot! Isn't that gonna be sweet? It'll be like Star Trek or something! You're second in command! How sweet is that?"

Nicholas cut some sausage and placed it in his mouth. "It… feels great," he said quietly.

The crew members looked at each other in confusion before staring at Nicholas once more. Lancer leaned towards him. "You okay?" he asked. "When we trained together for this moment, you were as giddy as a school boy. Why are you all of a sudden so quiet?"

Nicholas looked at him. "I've just… um, got a lot of studying to do," he fibbed. "I need to learn about the ship from the inside and out, remember?" He looked at Lancer, grinned playfully and rubbed the man's head. "I've got more to remember than any of you, dipstick."

Some of the crew chuckled softly while Lancer reached back and rubbed Nicholas' head before they went back to eating. "You ever heard about the Captain's family?" he asked, while picking up some bacon. "His parents are two of the world's best Ghost Hunters. Apparently, Amity Park's had hundreds of ghost apparitions in the past 15 or 16 years."

"_I _heard that Dr. Fenton's upgraded our shuttle to fit most of the ghost-bustin' gadgets his parents create," Arthur added. "He comes from a family of geniuses, man. Pure _geniuses._"

"He doesn't seem like the talkative type, though," Melissa pointed out. "You know when he gave us that speech a week ago? He actually _did _look pretty nervous to be up there on the stage. I wonder what he's going to be like while training us."

Jacob suddenly raised his head and quickly swallowed what he was chewing. "Hey, do you think that, considering he lives in Amity Park, that he's seen Danny Phantom?"

Nicholas froze at those words and remained incredibly silent.

"Hey, that's a good question," Lisa agreed. She grinned excitedly. "I heard that the mayor of Amity Park is actually a close _friend _to the ghost!"

"A _friend?_" Martha scoffed.

"Well, at least he personally _knows _the guy. Danny Phantom gives a lot of his information about the ghosts that attack the city to the mayor. It's pretty awesome, if you've seen the stuff on TV."

Lancer placed his hand on his cheek. "_Man, _what I'd give to meet Danny Phantom," he sighed. "I've been a fan of him since I was a teen. It must be sweet to see him in action."

Nicholas nervously began to stir the food in his dish. He tapped his fingers nervously.

Judy looked at him from across the table. "Nicholas, are you okay?" she asked, catching everyone's attention.

"Uh-huh," Nicholas replied with a quick nod.

"But you look like you've just seen a _ghost _or something."

"I'm fine."

"But—!"

All of a sudden, a small robotic sphere sailed across the air and landed on their table, causing food to go flying. The women cried in surprise and watched in awe as the orb floated up into the air again.

"What the heck is _that?"_ David wondered.

A student from the Academy ran towards them while holding up a remote control. "Sorry, Sirs and Ma'ams," he said quickly. "It's just a new robot I'm working on. Pretty neat, huh?"

"If by _neat_ you mean annoying, than yes," Jeffery muttered while pulling some eggs out of his hair.

Nicholas pointed over his shoulder. "You should put that thing away, Kid," he said. "The Seniors don't like it when students goof off like that in the Caf. It's not like high school, you know."

"Hey, I'm just having some fun," the student replied. "It's just a robot. Nothing more."

"You could make a mess."

"It's only got a few kinks left in it, but I'm pretty sure it's under control now—!"

As he spoke, the young man began fiddling with the controls; to his complete bewilderment, the robot lurched and swung itself into Arthur's cup, knocking the coffee in it onto the remote in the student's hands.

The robot immediately began to fly about the cafeteria, completely out of control. People all over the place were ducking and shouting in surprise as the robot shaved them or ran into tables or even landed in plates. Within mere seconds, the area had become a battlefield.

Some of the crew held their trays over their heads and ducked low. "That thing's gonna slice someone's head off if someone doesn't stop it!" Lancer exclaimed, crouching on the floor.

Nicholas dodged the flying robot once more before getting to his feet and dashing after it.

"Nicholas, what are you doing?" Martha wondered.

Nicholas leaped over someone before looking back. "I've got to stop that thing before someone gets hurt," he called back. He ran into the main aisle while continuing to dodge the robot.

The robot seemed to enjoy the challenge and began swooping down over Nicholas like a hawk. The man dodged it or leaped at it, trying to grab it and hold the object in place. It whizzed and whistled, almost as if teasing him.

Nicholas fell to the ground on a banana peel at one point, but quickly rose to his feet while glaring at the robot. "Come here, you stupid piece of junk!" he cried out, running after the robot and leaping towards it.

He finally managed to place both hands around the sphere. He smiled victoriously. "Gotcha!" he said before landing.

Unfortunately, he landed on a tray, which sent him stumbling forward. He flailed an arm through the air, holding onto the robot with his other hand, until he finally ran into someone.

_Splash!_

Some people gasped in shock. Nicholas felt the hot liquid on his shoulder, which had run into someone, and then smelled the fragrant of coffee. He gasped softly before daring to look up, already knowing who it was that he had bumped into _again._

Danny quickly dropped his coffee mug to the floor as the hot liquid spilled all over his uniform and his hand. He gasped painfully and took a step back in bewilderment while staring at his now dirty clothes.

Standing behind him, obviously walking along with him into the cafeteria, was Nicholas' uncle, Dr. Johnson. The Head scientist stared at them in shock while covering his mouth.

Nicholas looked at him for a moment before staring in fear at his Captain. Danny stared back at him, first in shock, and then in frustration. An unimpressed frown spread over his brow.

Nicholas cowered slightly. "Uh, good morning, Sir," he said nervously, holding the robot in his hands.

Danny stared at him in silence before looking at the mess around him in the cafeteria. After a moment, he glared softly at Nicholas again.

Nicholas swallowed with great difficulty. Suddenly, the robot in his hands began to whine loudly and shot out of his grasp, much to his surprise.

Danny recoiled as the robot flew inches from his face and sailed into the air. The people around them that had dared to get up cried out in shock and ducked to the ground again.

Nicholas covered his head and crouched as well, just as Johnson did the same.

Danny, however, did not. He frowned and immediately took off after the rogue robot, gracefully jumping over any area on the floor that seemed hazardous to his balance.

Nicholas slowly uncovered his head and rose to his feet and watched as Danny gave the robot chase. Danny jumped onto a table and dashed across it, leaping onto another one and then landing on the floor. The robot zigged and zagged in every direction, trying to escape its hunter.

The black-haired man skidded across the floor before leaping onto a table once more. This time, when he ran to the edge, the robot turned back and charged straight for him.

Someone gasped.

Danny challenged the robot silently before jumping off of the table again and running into it. The robot impacted against him, pushing him backwards through the air.

To everyone's surprise, however, Danny managed to land on his feet and slide backwards a few inches before coming to a stop. When he stood up straight, he revealed that he was holding the robot captive in his hands. The machine tried to break free violently.

People rose to their feet and stared at Danny in awe. Nicholas could only remain silent while the others whispered excitedly.

Danny pressed a few buttons that were on the sphere and then gave it a whack before the machine shutdown. Then, he walked up to Nicholas. When he looked up at the man, Nicholas noticed that his frown was _still _aimed at him.

Danny tossed the robot gently into the air as he walked by, causing Nicholas to reach out and catch it before it fell to the floor. "Next time you want to play with something, do it _outside,"_ Danny said quietly yet coolly as he passed his co-pilot.

Nicholas looked up at him in silence, partially in disbelief and partially in shame of letting him down again. He looked pitifully at his uncle.

Johnson stared back at him with concerned eyes before turning and following Danny back out of the cafeteria.

Nicholas watched them leave before looking down at the dead robot in his hands.

Lancer and a few other members of his crew ran up to him. "That was a pretty slick save," David said in awe. "I've never seen someone stop a robot like _that _before. He must really come from a family of geniuses."

Lancer ignored him and looked at Nicholas. "You okay, man?" he asked softly.

Nicholas did not look up or reply.


	8. Chapter 8

The final stage of training for the special missions began that day. Danny and Lieutenant Jones were awaiting the crew members in the large room where astronauts normally learned how to pilot space shuttles and gear.

Instead of the giant machinery, there was just an empty space. The white, circular room had nothing but the bowl-like center that was haloed in steps, undoubtedly so that people could sit on them. But without the usual NASA training gear, the room look incredibly bland.

"What kind of trainin' is _this?"_ one of the crew members wondered.

Lieutenant Jones cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he announced, "Dr. Fenton will introduce this final test that each of you will need to pass in order to embark on these missions. You will listen closely to what he explains; this is the last training test, but the hardest to beat. There's only been one man in NASA to pass it completely."

Danny stepped forward. "You should all be familiar with virtual reality training," he began. "It's part of the training you take to become an astronaut." He walked down the steps that led to the space at the bottom of the bowl and looked up at his crew. "This one is no different, save the fact that you will not be learning how to fix satellites. Instead, you'll be fighting."

"Fighting?" David echoed. "What's there to fight out in space, Sir?"

Danny looked at him. "You'd be surprised," he replied. "There may not be any aliens, but _spirits _come incredibly close."

"You mean ghosts?" Lancer said aloud.

"That's right."

"That sounds a little far fetched, Captain."

Danny frowned softly. "You know about Amity Park, right?" he asked.

Lancer looked at his crewmates before answering. "Uh, yeah," he replied.

"And you know that it's been overrun by ghosts for decades now, right?"

"Well, yeah—!"

"Then what makes you so sure that there aren't any ghosts in space?"

At these words, Lancer remained silent.

Danny walked back up the steps towards his crew. "Ghosts can go anywhere," he said. "Their weapons are deadlier than any of ours. To a certain degree, they outrank event the gadgets my own parents come up with." He stopped once he had reached his teammates and stood among them. "Ghosts exist," he said. "And I know all of you know that. The samples that we will be trained to retrieve will be pieces of anti-ghost objects or ectoplasmic items, which ghosts can use to their advantage. Space is filled with these things. Things just like that asteroid that nearly destroyed Earth years ago."

"Hey, I remember that!" Arthur announced. "That was when Danny Phantom and all of those ghosts turned the world intangible, right?"

Danny looked at him in silence for a moment before answering. "And what _is _Danny Phantom?" he asked.

Nicholas cleared his throat softly, catching Danny's attention. "Uh, he's a ghost, Sir," he said, almost meekly.

Danny did not frown at him, but he did not keep his eyes on him either. He immediately turned and walked off. "If Danny Phantom is a ghost, if he was able to travel into space, what makes you so sure that _other _ghosts can't do the same?"

No one replied.

Danny stopped walking again and pulled up a Fentonthermos. "These missions will be dangerous for the main fact that ghosts could attack us at any time," he said. "Our shuttle is specially equipped to withstand certain spiritual blows, but where the ship can't protect you, _you _will need to protect yourself. And the best way to do that is to familiarize yourselves with your gear." He held up the thermos. "How many of you recognize this?" he wondered.

"That's a ghost thermos," a crew member replied.

"Correct," Danny said with a nod. "This is your most useful gear. It can suck a ghost in and trap it for as long as it needs to be trapped. But it only works efficiently if the ghost in question is weakened. You _could _just suck them in, but unless they're actually incredibly weak ghosts, there's a bigger chance that they could escape again."

He held up a white gun. "This is an ectoplasmic ghost ray gun," he explained. "It was designed by Dr. Madeline Fenton, and improved on by Mr. Tucker Foley. These allow you to shoot ghosts back with the same kind of weapons they can shoot at you." Danny smiled cleverly. "Watch it, though; they're just as dangerous for humans as they are for ghosts, so don't point it somewhere you'll regret."

A few astronauts chuckled at this. Danny put the gun away. "You'll each get a chance to try this test out," he said. "There are ten levels, each short but augmenting in danger and difficulty the more you advance. You each have five lives to begin with, which is plenty, considering that in _real _life, you've only got _one. _Your goal is to find the sample you need to return to the ship. Clear enough?"

Judy raised her arm, catching Danny's attention. "Just one question, Sir," she asked. "If we're only gathering information about ghosts or gathering samples, why would any of them try to attack us?"

Danny did not reply right away. He only stared at her in silence, before finally looking away. "Not all ghosts want to fight," he said, "But the majority of them do. And the only way I'll be able to keep my crew safe, is if you learn how to keep _yourselves _protected."

Lancer raised his hand. "Um, just another question, Captain," he began, "But, do you think it's really necessary to go through this kind of testing? I mean, not _everyone _on the crew is going to leave the ship, are we?"

Danny remained silent before cracking a clever grin. "You think that no ghost will be able to come aboard the ship?" he asked.

"Well…"

"You're feeling lucky?"

Lancer lowered his arm.

"You don't think that this training is… _necessary_ for this type of mission?"

"Uuuhhh," Lancer hesitated to answer, not knowing what to say. He looked at his captain after looking at his crewmates. "No?" he replied.

Danny only grinned some more and walked over to a stand where a helmet with dark shades was sitting. He held it up. "This is called the _Fenton Virtual Reality Creator,"_ he explained. "Or VRC for short. My father created its first model back when I was in high school so that my sister and I could learn how to train to hunt or fight ghosts. It projects a virtual reality before your eyes, like a video game. My best friend helped me redesign the VRC in our Senior year at Casper High, and so far, I'm happy to say that it works like a charm." He smiled deviously at Lancer and tossed the helmet up at him.

The brown-haired man gasped in shock and caught the helmet as it landed against his chest. He and the others stared at it in silence before looking at Danny.

"If you think you don't _need _this training, Mr. Erickson, why don't you go first?" Danny asked cleverly. Crossing his arms, he added, "I'm sure that it will be _far _too easy for you, right?"

Lancer stared at him in silence while the others laughed softly.

Nicholas, however, remained silent. He simply looked at Lancer and waited for his friend to make a move.

After a moment, Lancer cleared his throat and walked down to where his Captain was. Danny pointed at the circle on the floor. "Stand here, so that you're at an equal distance from everything," he instructed. Once Lancer had gotten into position, Danny handed him a type of stick. "This will be the first weapon," Danny explained. "You will use this in any means possible to destroy the spirits."

"But it'll phase right through them," Lancer pointed out.

"In the game, it's a whole different thing than just a stick, Pal. Now put the helmet on and get ready to fight."

Lancer took a deep breath and placed the helmet over his head. The shades covered his eyes from view perfectly. He remained silent and immobile for the first few moments, until he got into ready stance and held the rod up.

Danny walked up the steps and stood near Jones, who had remained to look over the project.

Lancer suddenly swung his stick out madly, startling his teammates. Everyone began to whisper excitedly and watched as he fought an invisible foe. He swung the stick and kicked his feet when necessary, groaning every now and then. He was pushed back a few times and groaned loudly before getting back into position and fighting again.

"It actually looks like someone's fighting him," Martha whispered.

Lancer fought back for another minute or so before finally being pushed to the ground and falling onto his back. There, he slowly sat up, all the while removing the helmet from his head.

"Not as easy as it seems, huh?" Danny said with a grin, walking back down to his crewmate.

Lancer looked at him. "He was throwing _boxes _at me," he said. "Every time I tried moving, he tossed a blasted _box._"

Danny picked up the stick. "The Box Ghost," he said. "He's the easiest ghost to capture, but always tends to find his way back into the Real World." Danny looked at the rest of his crew. "He will be your first foe to defeat in this training," he said. "By Monday morning, when we leave for Florida, I expect all of you to at least beat it up to level five."

Jeffery nodded. "That shouldn't be so tough," he said.

Danny raised an eyebrow before Lancer scoffed and walked back up to the group while rubbing his back. "Are you feeling confidant?" Danny asked.

Jefferey grinned in reply. "Sure," he said.

Danny tossed him the stick. "Then you're next."

They each took turns at using the helmet, but to everyone's complete surprise, even Nicholas, _no _one had been able to pass the first level. The longest to last in the first round was Nicholas, but that was not even for more than five minutes. In no time, he had used up his five lives.

"Not as easy as you thought, huh?" Danny announced once the last member had gotten a turn. He looked at his exhausted crew and frowned seriously. "This is not your normal video game, people; this is a training test. You've got _five _lives, but in real life, just _one. _Things that happen in space are a lot different than when they happen here on Earth. Ghosts have the advantage because they've explored Space several times before. _We_ have only made it _so _far."

Danny crossed his arms. "We'll be the first astronauts to make it further than the moon, and in order for everyone to return in one piece, you have _got _to learn to fight like ghosts," he said sternly and loudly. "And ghosts fight much differently than humans do. They can use magic, much to our disadvantage, but you can outwit them."

He held up a manual and slapped it down into Nicholas' arms when he walked by. "You will each be given this manual to study overnight," he said, handing out a manual to each crew member. "It explains each ghost foe that you will need to fight in the training, and it will be up to you to find their weaknesses. From this moment on, when you step into this room, you will _not _think like a human…"

Danny paused here and looked at Nicholas. Nicholas did the same yet remained silent.

His captain's eyes seemed to grow ice cold. Danny narrowed his eyes. "… You will think like a _ghost,"_ he finished before turning his eyes away and walking off. "Ten levels, people; you need to pass five. Those with the highest ranking will be the first ones to come on this mission with me. Clear?"

Lisa raised her arm, catching Danny's attention. "Question, Sir," she stated.

Danny looked at her. "Yes?"

"This is just me, but are all the guys we need to beat in here ghosts from Amity Park?"

Danny smiled cleverly. "Sharp eye," he said. "This should make it interesting for you guys, then, considering what big fans of _Danny Phantom _you all are."

"Who created this training?" David asked. "How are we supposed to beat these guys if we only know them from television?"

"Read the manual," Danny instructed.

"All in one _night?_ We can't learn that fast."

Danny's frown grew. "The _Box Ghost _uses boxes to his advantage and knows how to slip in and out of the Ghost Zone without being seen or detected," he began. "_Skulker _is an experienced Ghost Hunter and uses an ecto-skeleton to his advantage. _Technus _is a spirit that uses technology against his foes. _Ember _uses _music."_ With every piece of information given, Danny's voice grew louder and louder. "Is that enough of a _head start _for you?"

No one spoke. Not even the Lieutenant interfered.

Danny squeezed his fists. "I know all of you are expecting me to tell you _ghosts _stories about Amity Park's _Danny Phantom,"_ he said, "But right now, you are all here to _train._ This training will allow you to see things in Danny's perspective, but without his ghost powers. You will need to think like a ghost to _fight _the ghost."

His voice echoed in the room. "Every foe will get more difficult with every passing level, so that manual you have in your hands is your most trusted companion." He pointed at his. "The Box Ghost is your first target. Skulker, Ember, Plasmius, you will eventually go through them all. You will go through the list of each popular Amity Park Ghost until you reach the most deadly, dangerous and _evil _spirit Danny Phantom's ever encountered: _Dark Danny, _otherwise known as _Dan Phantom."_ He tossed the manual across the floor. "But asking me to give you pointers _just _to hear about _Danny Phantom _is NOT, I repeat, _NOT_ the way to PASS THIS TEST!"

When Nicholas looked at everyone, he noticed that they all had a look of shame in their eyes. Somehow, Danny had been able to guess that they each wanted to hear a story about the famed Ghost-boy.

Danny remained silent, his fists clenched and his frown large, until he finally passed a hand over his face and sighed. "Training begins now," he said much calmer than before. "Lieutenant Jones will be the first to watch your progress. If you have any questions related to the training, I will be in my office, finishing some orders for the shuttle." He stood up straight. "But if you have anything Danny Phantom related to ask, don't ask _me."_

With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Jones watched him leave before looking at the crew. "You heard your Captain, ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "Time to train!"

* * *

They trained each for forty minutes, although none had been able to pass the first level. Nicholas did his best, but soon concluded that being the hero was not the easiest thing to do.

Lancer wiped his forehead as he put his things away in his locker before turning and looking at his crewmates. "He's tough, I'll give you that," he said. "But he's one heckova Captain. I didn't actually think he could tell what we were all hoping."

"Obviously, he's seen Danny Phantom in action," Arthur added. "Maybe they know each other personally."

"A ghost and a human? _I _don't think so, dude."

Nicholas silently put his things away while they spoke, hoping not to be pulled into the conversation.

Unfortunately, he was. "Hey, Nick, how well do you think you did?" Arthur wondered.

"You think you scored high enough for today?" David added.

Nicholas sighed, cursing the fact that they had decided to ask him something, and then looked at his companions. "Doesn't really matter," he said. "I'm his co-pilot. I go along with him on every mission."

"He seemed a little tougher on you for some reason," Lancer noticed. "When you did your first round while he was there."

"Like I said, I'm his co-pilot, Lance—!"

"That, or you're on his bad side."

Nicholas fell silent for a moment before replying. "Look, I'd rather not speak about it, okay?" he said. "I made a mistake, and now I need to regain his trust."

"His trust?" David announced. "But we haven't known him long enough to even get on his _good _side yet."

"I… just managed to push his buttons, that's all."

The others remained silent for a moment before sighing and getting back to their things. "I'm gonna go study Dr. Fenton's manual," Arthur announced. "If it's that important that we learn how to fight ghosts, then maybe this thing really _is _needed."

"Same here," David added. "I don't want to tick him off." He giggled childishly. "Plus; it's already sweet that I'm working for this guy, man; isn't it awesome that we're working for the youngest captain in NASA history? Man, if he can read our thoughts that well, just think of what he'll be like in space!"

He and Arthur walked off together, already chattering away about their career and boss. Lancer, on the other hand, looked at Nicholas with a bit of concern in his eyes. "You okay, Nicholas?" he asked. "You get pretty nervous when the Cap'n just looks at you."

Nicholas sighed softly and closed his locker. "I just need to get used to this job, that's all," he replied. "I want to show him that I can be trustworthy."

"For _what, _though? I still don't get it how you got on his bad side already. He's only been our boss for less than a week, man."

Nicholas shook his head and straightened out. "You wouldn't understand, Lance," he said. "At least not yet." He turned and walked off. "I'm gonna go see my uncle for a moment before going to study. We'll meet up later for supper, kay?"

"Sure. Later days, Stevenson."

* * *

Johnson was busy studying samples from the Ghost Zone when someone knocked on the lab door. "Come in, come in," the British man announced without looking up from his work.

The door creaked open and in walked the man's nephew. "Hey, Unc," Nicholas said quietly.

Johnson raised his head and grinned. "Nicholas!" he said. "So good to see you!" He wrote something down before removing his lab glasses. "I heard you did some serious practicing today with the Fenton VRC. How did you like that?"

The red-haired man shrugged and leaned against a table. "Not bad," he said. "It's incredibly difficult. No one's beaten the first level yet."

"Ah, yes; a few years back it was introduced as a good training test," Johnson announced. "Dr. Jones tried it out himself; hardly anyone was able to beat the first level within a day or two."

"Just one guy did, apparently. It's crazy. The most advanced and difficult training I've ever experienced."

Johnson nodded solemnly. "And how was Danny?" he asked softly.

Nicholas remained silent for a moment before slouching and sighing sadly. "I don't think I'll _ever _gain his trust, Uncle," he said. "I messed up at breakfast and at training he literally bit my head off. He's making it crystal clear to me that he's not all fun and games, and that his job isn't either."

"I _told _you that you were in for trouble, Nicholas," Johnson warned him as he returned to his microscope. "Because of your carelessness, Daniel is not going to be very gentle on your training. When a secret as important as his is let out, it becomes a very grave matter indeed. He'll be shooting nails at you until he sees that you can handle it; _then, _he will begin to trust you."

"I know, I know," Nicholas groaned. "It's my fault, I know that already. And I know I deserve it. But why does he have to be so _cold?_"

"Once again, you unravelled a very serious secret, Nicholas. Do understand that Daniel's life has been slightly threatened, thanks to your untameable curiosity."

Nicholas passed a hand over his face. "He really wasn't impressed when he realized that the crew was just asking him questions to get him to tell stories about Danny Phantom," he said. "He almost blew it, but the Lieutenant didn't do anything."

"Dr. Fenton is one of the Lieutenant's best astronauts, Boy," Johnson explained. "He already knows that, considering that Danny comes from Amity Park, people have asked him to talk about Danny Phantom. He knows that Danny feels uncomfortable in those situations, and he also knows that it is disrespectful to toy with a Captain that way."

Nicholas looked at his feet.

"Daniel is a good man, Nicholas. But he does not want people using him to get information about his ghost-half. Not only could it put him in danger, but it could put those he loves most in danger as well." Johnson looked up at his nephew. "Try putting yourself in his shoes for a moment, Nicholas; how would you feel if your secret had been discovered, was being threatened and that the only reason people want to speak with you is because they think you have information about their hero?"

Nicholas looked at his uncle shamefully. "I guess I'd feel pretty crummy," he said. "Not to mention scared."

"That's exactly what Daniel feels at the moment. It may not seem like it, Nicholas, but heroes happen to have more fears than any ordinary person…" Johnson stopped working for a moment again and looked up at his nephew once more. "And, do understand that, Danny has become his greatest fear," he added softly. "Before he gained powers, the supernatural frightened him. What would _you _do if you had accidentally become the very thing you are most afraid of?"

The red-haired man stared at him in silence until the doors to the lab opened.

Danny walked in while looking at some papers before raising his head. Upon seeing the two men, he stopped abruptly in his tracks, froze for a moment or two, and then cleared his throat. "Um, I didn't know you had company," he said, trying to avoid eye contact with Nicholas.

Johnson shrugged. "He's only here for a little while, Daniel," he said. "Did you bring what I asked?"

Danny finally moved again while digging into his pocket. "Yes," he replied, walking towards the professor. "These are the data sheets Tucker sent me. He thought you'd find them interesting."

"That I would," Johnson replied, taking the papers from the astronaut. He flipped through them quietly. "That I would."

Danny watched him in silence for a moment before looking at Nicholas again. Nicholas felt his heart skip a beat and he began to nervously shuffle his feet.

Danny remained silent before finally speaking. "You should be studying that book," he said sternly.

"I-I will, Sir," Nicholas replied. "I just wanted to visit my uncle for a moment."

Danny did not reply.

"I promise I'll study it right away, Captain."

These words seemed to rekindle the cold feelings Danny felt towards his new co-pilot. The black-haired man frowned softly before looking away. "Of course you _promise,"_ he whispered dryly.

Nicholas sighed heavily and looked away.

Johnson nodded after a moment and looked at Danny. "Yes, I think I'll take a thorough look at these," he said. "I may need a sample or two, though, of the plant in question. I was going to send a robot into the zone, but it's not ready to go in yet." He hesitated before speaking again. "I did not want to ask you this, Danny, considering the last time you did this for me, you were nearly killed, but could you get a piece of the plant your friend was telling me about? If I collected a leaf or two, I could certainly conjure something up and send a bit of it to your mother."

Danny stared at him in silence before looking at Nicholas from the corner of his eye. "You want me to enter the Ghost Zone?" he asked.

"If you can."

"… Right now?"

"While you're off duty, preferably."

Danny studied Nicholas over before looking away again. "I… uh…" He looked at his mentor. "He needs to leave, first."

Johnson looked at Nicholas once these words had been spoken. Nicholas looked at his feet sadly.

"I refuse to transform in front of anyone outside Amity Park."

Nicholas looked at the man.

"It's bad enough that he already saw me do it."

The red-haired astronaut sighed heavily and pulled himself away from the table he was leaning against. "Fine, I'll leave," he said. "I've got a ghost manual to study, anyway."

Johnson looked at him pitifully, although Danny had turned his head away again.

Nicholas stared at his captain in silence before sadness filled his eyes. He turned and walked to the doors. "See you later, Uncle Mike," he said softly before leaving the lab.


	9. Chapter 9

For the next few days, Danny overlooked most of the final training stage of his crew. They studied and battled virtually from ten in the morning to nearly six in the evening. One by one, every person on the team was growing familiar with the virtual training levels.

Within a day, everyone had been able to pass level one, including Nicholas. Once he had, he returned to studying his manual. The ghosts in the next levels came in this order: Box Ghost, Skulker, Thechnus, Ember, Spectra, Vortex, Undergroth, Nocturn, Vlad Plasmius and finally, Dan Phantom. Each Ghost augmented in difficulty and cleverness, and each ghost had their own powers and weakness. For a moment or two, Nicholas felt fortunate enough to have listened to the specials on television as a child when Danny Phantom fought different ghosts.

But this Dan Phantom was completely new to him. It was the only villain that no one seemed to recognize. Nicholas wondered secretly if he had been a villain only Danny knew, and if that was the reason for him being the final level.

It did not quite matter in the beginning; no one was able to pass Technus by Wednesday.

Danny watched Jeffery fail another attempt at fighting the third ghost and sighed tiredly. "Okay, okay, time out," he said as Jeffery removed the VRC. The black-haired man grabbed the helmet and watched as the exhausted trainee went to stand aside. "When I said _think like a ghost, _something obviously went through one ear and out the other," Danny continued while frowning softly. "You guys beat Box Ghost within a day, so why are we at the end of Wednesday and only _half _of you have beaten Skulker? And why hasn't anyone passed Technus? These are the _easiest _spirits to beat, guys! Are you even _reading _the manual I gave you?"

"This is the craziest training I've ever been through!" Lancer exclaimed in exhaustion, catching Danny's attention. "We're astronauts, not ghost busters! Why do we have to train for this if half of us won't be leaving the shuttle?"

"Ghosts don't _stay _outside, Lancer," Danny said sternly. "They can phase through anything, unless it's anti-ghost."

"If our shuttle is equipped for this type of mission, wouldn't it _be _anti-ghost?"

"Not our shuttle. The other ones may be, but not this one."

Lancer stared at him in disbelief. "Why the heck isn't your shuttle _ghost _proof?"

"BECAUSE I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FLY IT IF IT WAS, THAT'S WHY!" Danny exclaimed loudly.

Everyone fell incredibly silent. Lancer raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Nicholas remained immobile, stunned that his captain suddenly let something slip.

Danny realized what he had said as well. He opened his eyes wide in shock and then nervously looked down at the helmet in his hands as he blushed. "Uh, I mean, turning our type of shuttle anti-ghost would make it incredibly difficult to manoeuvre," he said much calmer. "It tends to make the shuttle lopsided."

Lancer blinked a few times before nervously rubbing his neck. "Forgive me, Sir," he said. "I shouldn't have shouted at you like that."

Danny took a deep breath and raised his head. He looked at Lancer and then at the rest of his crew. "I know this training doesn't make any sense to you right now," he spoke gently, "But once we're on our way to where we need to get to, you'll be thankful you've been through this."

He took a step forward and held up the VRC. "Considering the difficulty of these levels, I'll give you guys another clue," he began. "Skulker is an ecto-skeleton. He may seem to stand at nearly nine feet in height, but he's actually no taller than your hand. He's a robotics ghost; specializes in mechanics. You need to use that to your advantage."

He looked at the other half of his crew. "Technus is an upgrader and technology ghost. He can manipulate any hardware in sight, and sometimes tends to blurt out his plans by accident." Danny placed a hand on his hip. "Will that help you?" he asked.

No one dared to speak until Martha cleared her throat. "Uh, question, Sir," she said.

"Go on."

"I hope you don't take this personally or anything, but… How is it that you know so much about Danny Phantom and his enemies? You know even more about them than any of the news anchors do."

At these words, Danny finally cracked a grin and laughed very softly. He shook his head and stared at the floor. "Some things are better left alone, Dr. Stewart," he said very quietly. He raised his head and looked up at Nicholas.

Nicholas recoiled in surprise at this, before nervously looking away.

"Better left alone… until the right time," Danny finished. After the room was silent for another second or two, he sighed loudly and patted the VRC. "So!" he said, looking at everyone; "Who's gonna go next?"

All the astronauts present looked about nervously while mumbling and smiled wryly in reply. Danny raised an eyebrow and grinned slyly. "Don't tell me you're _chicken,"_ he said sarcastically. "You guys are supposed to be the bravest and the smartest of NASA's new recruits. That's why you were chosen for this job."

Lancer looked at everyone before pointing at Danny. "If you're so confident that we can pass this training, why not do it yourself?" he asked.

"Lancer!" Nicholas whispered harshly, reaching over and punching his teammate in the shoulder.

Danny waited until Lancer had finished rubbing his arm before speaking. He smiled cleverly. "Are you challenging me?" he asked.

Lancer looked at Nicholas before staring at his captain. "Um, maybe," he said.

Danny chuckled softly and held up the helmet. "Either you are or you aren't, Lancer," he said. "You think I should see exactly how difficult this training is?"

Lancer shrugged. "Um, sure, yeah," he said, grinning. "Let's see what you've got."

When Nicholas looked at Danny, he noticed the man's eyes flash green for a split second before turning blue again. Danny placed the helmet over his head and walked over to where the different weapons were. "To demonstrate that I won't cheat, I'll have the game play on the screen back there so you guys can watch," he announced. "And to show you I'm no coward, I'll choose the Fenton Thermos," he added, picking up a metal cylinder that was supposed to represent the thermos in the game.

"That's not a weapon of defence," Arthur pointed out. "That's just something to trap the ghost."

"You plan on fighting it one on one or something?" Lisa asked as she sat down and smiled amusingly.

"Maybe he'll bop it in the head," another trainee muttered, making the others giggle.

Danny laughed softly as he walked to the circle at the center of the room. "If you guys think I'll have a heart attack, you can stop me whenever you want," he said, getting into ready stance. "_This _is how you fight like a ghost."

And the training began. The Box Ghost appeared on the screen at the back of a warehouse and began throwing boxes and containers of all types in the direction of the camera. Behind him, in a small chest, was the sample the player had to retrieve.

Danny immediately dodged the first box by leaning to one side. He ducked, dodged, leaned and jumped in place. He even managed to flip once or twice, to everyone's astonishment.

"Whoa, did you see _that?"_ a man gasped.

Lancer passed a hand through his hair. "Did he just… _flip?"_ he said, looking at Nicholas.

Nicholas stared back until he decided to watch the screen.

The Box Ghost waved its arms around in the air. "BEWARE!" he shouted.

"Not this time, Box Boy," Danny replied with a grin. He stood up straight and pointed the silver cylinder at the screen.

On the screen itself appeared the end of the Fenton Thermos. Out of it exploded a bright blue light. The light sucked the Box Ghost straight into the container, shouting in fright at the same time.

Danny quickly put the lid back over it and tossed it up. "Level one, completed," he announced aloud, much to the bewilderment of everyone there. "And that was all done in less than two minutes." He cracked his knuckles. "Gimme your best shot, Skulker!"

And he continued on with the next levels, one by one, using nothing but wit and gymnastics to virtually dodge every attack that was sent his way. His crew watched in astonishment, completely blown away with how little difficulty their captain was able to pass every test, and without losing a single life at that.

Nicholas was awed. Never had he seen someone fight so gracefully with a foe that only existed in his mind. It took him by storm at how simple this training seemed to Danny, despite the fact that the man had already fought these ghosts several times before.

"I'm not believing this!" Arthur exclaimed with a laugh. "It's only been twenty-five minutes, and he's already beaten nine ghosts!"

"And with only a Fenton Thermos!" Jacob added in awe.

"He's got this ghost fighting thing down pat, eh, Nick?" Lancer said with a grin.

Nicholas hushed him. "He's about to beat the last one," he whispered.

The room fell incredibly silent as the screen went black. When it faded into view again, they saw nothing but the ruins of a futuristic city, flattened completely to the ground.

Danny bared his teeth a little and crouched low at the sound of footsteps.

"Hey, Kid," the ghost said with a deep voice. When it stepped into view, a few women gasped. The spirit was as tall as a man, yet had pale green skin, flame-like white hair, muscular body and glowing red eyes. He was dressed in a suit that resembled Danny Phantom's.

"He looks like an evil version of Danny Phantom!" Lancer whispered in shock.

Dan Phantom smiled deviously at his opponent. "Long time no see," he announced.

Danny growled softly. "Better that way, if you ask me," he said dryly.

Nicholas, as well as a few other astronauts, were startled; the ghosts had never spoken to them directly when they trained, and yet, here was the final ghost, speaking to Danny as though he knew him.

"You should have known you couldn't escape your future," the ghost continued.

"I never escaped it," Danny replied. "I only changed it."

"How clever."

Lancer leaned towards Nicholas. "What the heck's goin' on here?" he asked worriedly.

Nicholas shook his head. "I have no idea," he replied.

Dan Phantom held up a hand and it began to glow red. "I see you're unarmed," he said. "If I had even a drop of humanity left, I would probably give you a chance, but considering I don't, better luck next time."

Danny crouched even lower to the ground. "Give it your best shot, Pal!" he shouted.

The ghost on the screen immediately began firing powerful ghost rays at the player. Danny dodged and ducked, leaped and jumped. He flipped once, landed on his feet and flipped again.

"I see you've been practicing, Twinkle Toes," Dan teased. "Let's see how well you can dance at _this _speed!"

His speed in attacks immediately began to double, and even triple. The astronauts present began chattering excitedly as they watched their captain move even faster at dodging. Danny panted loudly.

"It's as if this game's got a memory or something," David announced. "A memory of each player that's used it." He looked at his teammates. "This mustn't be the first time Dr. Fenton's played."

Lancer looked at him. "If he's this good, do you think he's—!"

A loud groan from Danny caught everyone's attention. Danny slid backwards on his feet a few inches and grasped his stomach as though he had just received a painful blow in the gut.

Lisa gasped. "Guys, I think he's hurt!" she said.

"How the heck did he get hurt physically if it's only a video game?" Lancer exclaimed.

Dan laughed menacingly on the screen. "Get back up on your feet, Hero!" he taunted as Danny slowly began to straighten out. "Amity Park won't stand on its own, you know; it needs _you _to hold it up!"

Danny's legs seemed to shake, but he stood firmly anyhow. "I'm not finished yet," he said through pants.

Dan smiled. "Good," he said. "Then let me finish you off!"

The ghost took a deep breath and then let it all out in a ghostly wail. Everyone present cried in surprise and covered their ears.

"What attack is that?" Jeffery cried out.

Nicholas looked at the screen. "It's the Ghostly Wail!" he shouted. "It's one of Danny Phantom's most powerful attacks! It can damage or permanently destroy ghost matter!"

"It sure is _loud!"_ Lancer shouted. "Thank goodness we're just humans!"

To everyone's complete surprise, Danny placed his hands over his ears and screamed in pain. He threw his head back and fell to his knees.

"Captain!" Melissa gasped. She looked at Nicholas. "Nicholas, we need to do something!"

"Why's it hurting him?" Jacob wondered.

Nicholas did not explain this time. He unblocked his ears and rushed down the steps that led to where his captain was. He knew why it was harming him; Danny was part ghost.

Nicholas rushed up to Danny and began placing his hands around Danny's arms in order to help him to his feet; but to his complete surprise, Danny threw an arm out and pushed him back subconsciously. Nicholas stumbled backwards in surprise before attempting to raise the man up again, but once more, Danny pushed him back. When Nicholas tried it a third time, Danny swung a leg around and tripped the astronaut.

Nicholas groaned as he hit the floor and then looked up at his captain.

Danny slowly began to rise to his feet. He squeezed his fists and clenched his teeth. "You won't… beat me… THIS TIME!" he yelled incredibly loudly.

On the screen, Dan Phantom stared at the player in horror, just as the helmet Danny was wearing began to glow. Danny shouted angrily and threw a fist out through the air. In the training game, it hit the ghost in the face and tossed him backwards to the ground.

Danny immediately pulled out the silver cylinder and pulled the cap off. He held it up, pointed in Dan's direction, and activated it. A bright light burst out and enveloped the ghost, sucking it into the thermos while shouting in dismay.

As soon as the cap was over the item, everything fell silent. The helmet stopped glowing, to everyone's bewilderment, and the words _You win _appeared in capital letters over the screen.

Danny sighed in exhaustion and dropped the silver thermos to the floor. It fell with a _clang!_

"Oh, my gosh," Lisa said in awe. "He just _beat _the entire game in half an hour!"

"That's incredible!" Arthur added.

Danny slowly pulled the helmet off of his head. His arms and legs were shaking in weakness. He wiped his forehead while panting. "_That's _how you… fight like a ghost," he panted.

Lancer pointed at him. "You're the guy!" he exclaimed. "You're the guy Lieutenant Jones said had beaten the game! You're the only one who's ever _beaten_ it!"

"That was amazing, Captain!" Martha said excitedly. "You beat that ghost like it was nothing!"

At these words, to everyone's surprise, Danny laughed sarcastically and dropped the helmet to the ground. "Out of all the ghosts in the world, he's _definitely _not nothing, Martha," he said sternly, frowning tiredly at her. "Dan Phantom's the worst of the worst, trust me. If there's any ghost you should be frightened of, it's him." He looked at the team. "I hope you all watched carefully, here, because this is the last time you'll see me do this. Perseverance is key to winning this game, people; perseverance and endurance. I beat all _ten _of them without a single weapon except for a soup can. Can you do that?"

"Why did that ghost talk to you?" Judy asked softly, catching his attention. "It's almost as if he knew who you were."

At these words, Danny's eyes darkened and he looked away. "Like I said earlier," he replied. "Some things are better left alone, Judy."

He finally turned his eyes upon Nicholas. Nicholas stared back at him in silence from the floor and fearfully wondered what he would say.

Danny frowned gravely at him. "The _worst _thing someone could do is try to interfere while someone else is virtually training," he said coolly. "Do you have _any _idea what could have happened if you had done more than what you tried to do?"

"I-I was only trying to help you," Nicholas replied nervously. "You looked like you were in pain—!"

"That doesn't _matter,"_ Danny replied sharply. "There's nothing anyone can do if someone's been harmed virtually. That's why it's not a game for the weak of heart. That's why you each had to pass a special health exam before taking this training." Danny's frown grew as he pointed at Nicholas. "_You, _out of everyone here, should already _know _not to do something that _stupid _around me."

"I'm sorry, Sir—!"

"—Either you could have _killed _me, or _I _could have killed _you,"_ Danny interrupted in a hiss. He leaned towards Nicholas and narrowed his eyes. They immediately glowed bright green.

Nicholas gasped softly.

Danny glared at him. "Do that again, to anyone who's training virtually, without first contacting the Emergency crew who is experienced with this type of injury, and you can remove yourself from the team," he whispered. "Do I make myself clear?"

Nicholas did not hesitate. He immediately nodded his head quickly.

Danny pulled himself away from him and walked off. His legs nearly gave in a few times as he made his way up the steps. "Training will commence tomorrow at nine instead of ten," he announced. "I want to make sure all of you make it to level five before we leave for Florida."

Lisa attempted to help him make his way to the door, but Danny only dismissed her with a wave of his arm and continued on his way until he had exited the room.

Everyone watched him do so before looking at Nicholas. The man slowly rose to his feet while dusting himself off.

"I'm sorry, Nicholas," Melissa apologized. "I didn't think helping him could get you in trouble."

Nicholas looked at her before staring at the VRC on the floor. "Don't worry about it, Mel," he replied quietly. "I'll… get used to it."


	10. Chapter 10

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: IMPORTANT!_ _OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG, I am SOOOO sorry I haven't updated this story, guys! D8 University just finished for me, and it's really hard keeping track of two websites (deviantart and this one) I am SO SO SORRY!_**

**_So I am updating three chapters today! Omg, you guys have no idea how excited about this I am! I can't believe the great response I've been getting!_**

_**Okay, here goes!**  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

It was nearing ten at night. Most people had already left for the residencies or their temporary stays on the Space Center grounds. Only a handful was still up, doing things.

Danny was one of them. He had a few last errands to run before calling it a night. And while he carried documents this way and that, mostly to help his boss or Dr. Johnson out, he had his Bluetooth in his right ear, which allowed him to have a conversation with his best friend, who was currently sitting in front of the television at his home, playing video games.

"It just feels like they want to get something out of me about Danny Phantom," Danny announced as he handed the secretary a letter. While she ran into the back room, Danny turned around and examined the papers he had in his hands. "A few days ago, they wanted me to tell stories; _now, _I think they just wanted to see me fight ghosts."

"_That's cuttin' it pretty close, Danny, don't you think?"_ Tucker said seriously. _"I mean, you could have transformed right in front of them."_

"I _know _that, Tucker," Danny replied tiredly while rolling his eyes. He looked at the secretary when she returned with a box and a large poster container. "I almost did when Dan Phantom used his Ghostly Wail on me." He took the packages and smiled at the woman while mouthing a thank you.

"_Danny, I already told you in high school that you shouldn't play with that thing,"_ Tucker warned sternly as Danny tucked the poster under his chin and his shoulder while carrying off the box. _"He's the only one that seems to physically contact you in the entire game. You can seriously get hurt!"_

"I know, I know."

"_If Sam found out that you had decided to give this thing to NASA and made a demonstration, she'd kill me!"_

"Why kill you?"

"_Hello; I'm the one who redesigned it, Danny. _You're _her hubby. She won't kill you—you're too cute!"_

Danny chuckled as he walked around a corner. "I feel safe," he said.

"_Danny, just promise me you won't use that thing anymore, okay? Not even if someone asks you to. Either you'll be forced to transform, or else you'll seriously get hurt!"_

The astronaut sighed softly. "I promise, Tucker," he replied quietly. "I don't really intend to use it again, anyway."

"_Good…"_ There was a pause on Tucker's end before he spoke once more. _"So… how's this Stevenson kid?"_

Danny rolled his eyes as he stopped in front of the elevator. "Don't get me started," he groaned.

"_He's that bad?"_

"_Bad?_ Tucker, he's driving me bonkers! Just a few days ago, I stopped some dumb robot he let loose in the cafeteria; he keeps running into me in the hallways, and I do mean _literally,_ and today, he tried to help me while I was still virtually fighting Dark Danny!" The elevator door slid open and Danny walked in. "I'm in the elevator, Tuck; if I cut off, I'll call back."

"_Sure,"_ Tucker replied. _"So, he's annoying; has he done anything to blackmail you yet?"_

"Blackmail me?"

"_About your powers?"_

"No, not yet. He actually hardly speaks to me."

Tucker sarcastically laughed at his end. _"Ho-boy,"_ he sighed.

Danny frowned. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"_Danny, have you even given him a bit of a chance to prove himself trustworthy?"_ Tucker asked. When Danny did not reply, the man went on. _"Maybe the reason he's not speaking to you is because he's scared you'll bite his head off. Maybe he's trying to prove himself, but you're so busy being ticked off at him for peeking that it makes him nervous."_

Danny leaned against the elevator wall before the doors opened and allowed him passage. "I never thought of that," he said quietly.

"_Of course you didn't. Sam usually thought of that. _She _was the smart one in this type of situation, remember?"_

"Well," Danny began, frowning softly, "What do you expect me to do? Open my arms wide, give him a hug and say, _I trust you?_ Tucker, I'm trying to balance the life of an astronaut with the life of a superhero, here! If I make one false step, the balance will tip!"

"_I'm not saying to just jump in and trust him,"_ Tucker replied. _"In fact, a little caution never hurt. All I'm saying is that maybe you should be a little easier on him. Maybe Sam's right; maybe he _is _good at heart."_

Danny sighed softly and stopped walking. "I'll try," he said softly. He looked worriedly at the package in his arms. "I'm just… I dunno, scared I guess."

"_That's natural for someone in your situation, Danny. We all get scared about things like these, some more than others. You're a nervous wreck, remember?"_

"Don't remind me."

"_You've been taking deep breaths?"_

"Plenty."

"_Good. Then I guess that's all I can do for now. I'll be in Washington DC for the next few days, Dan. I've got this new computer debugging program to present, so I'm taking the opportunity to travel with my dad. I'll watch the launch from there, and I should be back home by the time you land again."_

"Sure. Have fun in Washington."

"_Danny."_

Danny waited silently for his best friend to continue.

"… _Cheer up, okay? A frown never looked good on you, trust me. Things will turn around, you'll see."_

Danny sighed and grinned weakly. "Okay," he replied. "Later, Tuck."

"_See you in a week, dude."_

Danny waited for the signal to be cut before he continued walking around the corner.

To his complete surprise, he ran directly into Dr. Johnson. The scientist groaned in surprise and stumbled backwards.

Danny gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he apologized.

Johnson chuckled softly before leaning down and picking up the papers that belonged to Danny. "That's quite alright, Daniel," he said, straightening his glasses. He looked at the astronaut. "A lot on your mind, I'd assume."

"You… you could say that."

"I heard about the incident in the training room," Johnson began. His eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright?"

Danny looked at the box in his hands. "Yeah, just exhausted, that's all," he said. "And maybe a little freaked out."

"I thought you said you would never try that again…"

"Lancer wanted to see me try it. So I figured I'd give them a few pointers."

Johnson nodded solemnly. "Nicholas told me what happened," he said lowly. "How he attempted to help you."

Danny rolled his eyes tiredly. "I don't want to talk about it," he said stubbornly.

"Daniel, could you not at _least _give him a second glance? He only means you well—!"

"I just had my best friend give me a lecture about that, Sir," Danny interrupted with a frown. He looked away again. "I don't want to talk about it."

Johnson sighed. "Danny, Nicholas is only trying to help you," he said. "Could you not give him a chance?"

"_You're _not the one with ghost powers, Doctor," Danny whispered sharply. "If word of this slipped out, the Guys in White could swoop in and experiment on me, and who knows; maybe they'll even do it on my _son, _considering he's inherited two of my powers!" Danny bared his teeth for a moment. "You-have-no-i-_dea_ what I'm going through! No one does! Why is everyone telling me how to protect myself? I'Ve had these abilities since I was fourteen! I _don't _need pointers!"

"I am not trying to lecture you, Danny, I am only trying to guide you," Johnson replied gently, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Not only am I concerned for my nephew, but I am concerned for you as well. You seem to get uptight whenever he dares to _touch _you. If you bottle up this much fear, I'd hate to find out what could happen to you."

Danny's frown softened and he looked downward sadly. "I'm just scared," he said softly. "I don't like being mean to anyone, but when something as important as my powers are let out, I get scared."

"I know," Johnson replied softly. He pushed up his glasses. "Let's drop the subject then, if it makes you feel any safer." He looked at the package in the man's arms and the poster that was now tucked under Danny's arm. "I would assume these are for me?" he asked.

Danny looked at his parcels and immediately handed them over to the scientist. "I was just going to drop something off at the library before delivering them," he said.

"I'll take them off of your hands then." Johnson held up the packages once Danny had taken his papers off of them. "Better get some sleep, Boy; if you intend on starting training an hour earlier tomorrow, then get some rest."

"Yessir."

Johnson nodded gently and grinned before walking around the corner. "Good night, Daniel," he said softly before disappearing from view.

Danny watched him leave before turning and continuing on his way to the other end of the building. He figured that a short walk would do him some good, so he would go down the stairs at that end and then walk the rest of the way until he had reached the wing where the offices were. From there, he'd climb to the second floor and head for his temporary office.

Passing by the second floor of the library, he dropped the book he had borrowed off and then continued on to the stairs. He walked down them slowly while flipping through the papers he still carried in his hands.

Arriving on the main floor, he walked subconsciously passed the virtual training room. At first, he took no heed of it; but then something caught his eyes and caused him to stop.

He heard a loud groan. Danny raised his head and waited until he heard another groan before retracing his steps and stopping in front of the opened doors. There, he peered into the room.

Nicholas was swinging a stick around through the air, all the while dodging invisible items. On his head, he wore the Fenton VRC.

Danny watched him in silence as the astronaut trained vigorously. Despite still being untrustworthy, Nicholas had proven to be an incredibly apt pupil. He never complained when Danny scolded him or shot him icy glares. He may not have followed every single order given to him, but he had the highest score on the virtual reality game out of all of Danny's crew.

Nicholas swung the stick once more before groaning loudly and stumbling backwards. Here, he furiously tossed the stick across the floor before removing the helmet and walking up to where his manual was sitting. He picked the book up, quickly flipped through the pages and began reading one section while sliding his finger over it. Once he had finished doing so, he tossed the book aside, replaced the helmet over his head and went to grab the stick before continuing his training.

Danny silently marvelled the perseverance this man had. He could feel a tug of guilt pull at his heart, making him feel horrible for putting Nicholas through what he was experiencing. But despite this feeling, the fear of having his powers revealed was still overpowering.

Danny waited a moment longer before finally turning his head away and leaving, all the while considering the words his wife, best friend and mentor had each said to him.


	11. Chapter 11

The rest of the week soon flew by, and soon, Sunday had arrived; the day before the launch.

Danny continued to survey the virtual training, sometimes accompanied by Lieutenant Jones. Slowly, each crew member was able to grow more familiar with the game and eventually made it to level four. Only a handful had been able to pass to level five, but by then, they had decided that it was enough; they had made it to Danny's checkpoint. Now, they could put the training behind them.

In the evening, before supper, Danny called everyone together. "You all did very well this past week," he said. "Half of you made it to level four, and the rest even made it to level five. Though I could point out all the mistakes you made, I won't…" He grinned. "You guys did your best, and I'm pleased to say that you've passed the training."

"Yes!" Lancer exclaimed, giving Arthur a high-five.

"This wasn't an easy training, especially since most of you were a little sceptic about having to fight ghosts in outerspace," Danny continued. "But you guys showed perseverance, endurance, and to a certain point, the ability to think and act like a ghost." He raised his head and beamed. "Point, I'm proud to be the captain of this crew."

Everyone grinned proudly at him.

Danny held up papers and began handing them out to every astronaut there. "Considering my shuttle isn't meant to fit more than twelve at once, half of you will be staying here, surveying our progress from Earth, here at Central Command. The other half will come with me onto the ship," he explained. "These are your schedules for the next two months. I went ahead of time to prepare them for you. The rest will be sent to you by email. Note that you will still get the chance to work with other astronauts on other missions, such as repair to the space station or moon rovers, and exploration on the moon itself. But this will be your schedule with me."

He looked at another sheet. "Of the heads of each position, one of the two will be accompanying me tomorrow," he announced: "Melissa Krahn, Arthur McCarthy, Judy Lance, Lancer Erikson and Jacob Robinson, you guys are coming along this time round. The six other astronauts are listed under your schedules."

He gave a chance for everyone to examine their schedule before continuing. "Our suits and equipment will be waiting for us at the launch site," he announced. "The shuttle is already suited for the mission and contains all of our supplies and weaponry. This is the ultimate test, people; if you guys pass it, you'll be official Special Mission Astronauts." Danny looked at everyone and smiled. "Welcome aboard Shuttle B-614, people."

The astronauts began to clap and cheer loudly and patted each other on the backs. Lieutenant Jones cleared his throat after a moment and clapped loudly. "Okay, folks, time to get some shut eye," he announced loudly. "We'll be leavin' at four o'clock in the morning, so get restin' and time your alarm clocks!"

Everyone began pouring out of the room, whispering excitedly about the next day. Nicholas, who had remained silent the entire time, grinned as Lancer patted his back and began filing out with his teammates.

"Dr. Stevenson."

Nicholas froze in his tracks and slowly turned around. While Jones had continued on with the others and left the room, Danny had remained behind, studying some documents in his hands.

The red-haired astronaut remained incredibly silent, waiting nervously for the man to speak.

Danny flipped through a few pages before looking up at him. "I'd like to speak to you in private, please," he said softly before turning and walking off.

Nicholas followed Danny into the hallway and down several more until they had reached Dr. Johnson's laboratory. Given that the scientist was absent that evening due to a special dinner outing with his wife, he had lent the keys to his laboratory to Danny, who unlocked the door and led his co-pilot in.

The lab was dark, but Danny did not seem to have any difficulty walking through its maze of tables and boxes. "I'd like to talk to you about the mission," he announced as Nicholas closed the lab doors and followed his captain. "Considering you're my co-pilot and first officer, it's important that I share earlier information with you."

"Information, Sir?" Nicholas echoed meekly. "About what?"

"Briefing about the mission," Danny replied, stopping in front of a small, round table. He pressed a few buttons on a keypad and a holographic 3D image of the shuttle appeared, glowing in blue light. Slowly it turned on itself.

Nicholas stared at the ship in awe.

"This is our shuttle," Danny explained. "It's especially equipped for this type of mission. It can phase through solid objects upon my command, it can turn itself invisible, and its equipped with guns that shoot ghost rays." He looked up at Nicholas. "As my co-pilot, you will need to learn how to fly the ship, command the ship, and fire the ghost rays."

"What about turning it intangible and invisible?" Nicholas asked.

Danny stared at him in silence before looking at the hologram. "No," he said quietly. "The only one who can do that is me. And the only time I will do it is when the time is needed."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't use my _powers _in front of everyone, Dr. Stevenson." Danny looked at him again for a second, with a slightly irritated frown. "Hence the secret identity, remember?"

Nicholas nervously looked away. "Yessir," he mumbled.

Danny pointed at the hologram. "Our dormitory rooms will be here," he explained. "The supplies here, the weaponry here, the medical wing here and the storage here. The main deck has all the computers. Considering our experience with engineering, one of our jobs will be to check that the entire ship is in good flying condition every day. We'll go through a check list." He pressed another button and an image of the command deck appeared. "We'll be sitting here, at the front of the ship," he announced. "It's from here that we take control. For the first day or two of the mission, I'll take the controls, and you'll study. After that, I'll pass the controls over to you."

"You're gonna give _me _control of the ship?" Nicholas said in shock.

Danny looked up at him. "No," he replied. "I'm gonna let you _fly _it. Commanding it is my job unless I'm injured. And you'd better hope that that doesn't happen where we're going."

Nicholas looked at him worriedly. "Where are we going?" he asked.

Danny had a holographic map pop up next and pointed at an area. "Here," he said. "A few thousand miles away from the moon. There's a dark asteroid in there, and our objective is to find it and bring back a few samples for your uncle to study."

"But I thought we were looking for ghost materials."

"We are; you'd be surprised how much ghost junk there is in space."

"So, what's a _dark asteroid_?"

"It's a synonym for black. Black asteroids are rumoured throughout the Ghost Zone to be outside areas where Ghosts can recuperate."

"Recuperate? You mean we're headed to one of their hideouts? Isn't that a little dangerous for a first mission?"

Danny looked up at Nicholas. "Ghosts don't go there _all _the time," he replied. "In fact, they hardly go into space at all. But there's some stuff on that asteroid that your uncle would like to examine." He held up five fingers. "Only five of us will be going out there. You, me, and three others. We need to get a bit of the samples and head straight back."

Nicholas looked at Danny in silence for a moment before speaking. "These special missions," he began, "Are they also secret missions?"

"Yes and no," Danny replied. "Only the directors of NASA and Dr. Johnson know about most of them," he explained. "But not all of them will be completely hush-hush. Some of our missions will be to explore further reaches of our solar system. The ones that involve ghost matter and anything else supernatural will be only between the crew, Lieutenant Jones and Dr. Johnson. These are specifically for your uncle's personal interest, and sometimes for my parents."

Nicholas nodded solemnly before speaking again. "May I… ask you another question, Captain?" he asked meekly.

Danny blinked. "Yes," he replied.

"Do the ghost-related missions… have anything to do with… you?"

Danny fell incredibly silent. The blue glow from the light cast a strange glow over his face and his eyes.

Nicholas waited patiently yet nervously for him to answer.

The black-haired man remained silent until he turned the map off. He then punched in another code and the lights in the lab turned on. Nicholas looked about him before staring at his commander once more.

"… In a way," Danny replied, almost hesitantly. "Dr. Jones and your uncle issued the first mission, but what they don't know is that there's actually a ghost portal opening over that very area by the time we arrive there."

"How… how do you know that?"

Danny frowned softly. "What I know about ghost portals and the Ghost Zone is none of your concern, Dr. Stevenson," he said sternly. "Normally, these special missions are just supposed to be like any ordinary exploration. The shuttle is built to go further than any other ever built, but because of the amount of unexpected ghost portal openings beyond Earth, I've synched my shuttle to work along with my ghost powers in case of any unexpected ghost meetings."

Nicholas looked at him nervously. "I thought some ghosts don't like to fight," he said.

His captain nodded his head. "Some of them don't, that's correct," he answered. "But considering I happen to be the commander of this shuttle, and that a _lot _of those ghosts are after my hide, I've got a bad feeling that if we _do _meet any ghosts, they won't be there to play chess."

"So, we'll actually need to fight them?"

Danny groaned loudly and rolled his eyes before turning away and walking to the ghost portal in the wall. "I don't _know_!" he exclaimed in exasperation. "I'm just setting up precautions! All that matters really is that once we're aboard the shuttle you follow my orders! If you don't, we risk losing more than fuel, capiche?"

Nicholas shuddered a little when the man raised his voice, but nodded anyhow. "Yessir," he said.

Danny looked at him. "Good," he said firmly. He crossed his arms. "Anything else you'd like to know before tomorrow?"

Nicholas nervously rubbed his arm. "Um, maybe why our shuttle doesn't have a ghost shield or is created to be anti-ghost—!"

"—I _mean _ask anything about the _mission, _NOT about _my _issues!" Danny snapped loudly. He frowned gravely at him. "The shuttle doesn't have a ghost shield, Doctor, because _I'm _half _ghost!_ If I was to build the shuttle in anti-ghost material, I'd be unable to fly it, and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to _steer _it properly! As for a ghost shield, I could put one up if I need to, but that's only in emergencies! _Does that answer your question?"_

Nicholas cowered a bit before straightening out again. "Yessir," he said meekly.

Danny pulled at his hair and turned around to face the ghost portal. "Unless you have any questions about the ship or the mission, don't ask anything else," he said. "I won't give any more information away about what I'm _sure _you're dying to hear more about." He looked at Nicholas again after a brief moment of silence. "You're dancing incredibly close to that bottomless hole I told you about two weeks ago, Doctor," he said coolly.

Nicholas sighed heavily and looked at the ground. "Sorry, Sir," he muttered.

He waited for Danny to say anything else, but when all the man did was turn his head away from him, Nicholas gave up hoping and began walking to the exit.

He had nearly reached the doors when an unexpected voice stopped him. "I'm not finished," Danny announced.

Nicholas stopped in his tracks and was startled to hear that Danny had spoken incredibly gently, despite the sudden frustration he had shown seconds earlier. The red-haired man slowly turned around and looked at his captain.

Danny stared back at him in silence for a moment. No frown was over his brow, yet his arms remained crossed. "I looked at your score," he said calmly. "From the training game…" He shifted legs. "For someone as nervous as you, you sure know how to study."

Nicholas was not certain if this was a compliment or a joke, and so he remained silent.

"Your perseverance is top notch, if you get my drift," Danny added. "Despite the long hours of training and the pressure… you managed to beat four of the ten ghosts on that game… A mere Danny Phantom fan wouldn't have been able to even survive a minute with the Box Ghost." Danny paused for a moment before he raised his head a little. "It would be a shame if you couldn't keep it up while we're on the mission," he said very softly. "Not everyone's got that much in them when it comes to ghosts."

Nicholas blinked a few times and almost cracked a grin. "I'll… try my best, Sir," was all he could muster up.

Danny did not make another movement until he turned around and walked further into the lab. "Get some rest," he said. "We leave early in the morning."

Nicholas watched him walk about for a moment before turning and walking towards the exit again. It was only once he had left the lab that he silently began to wonder if Danny was truly trying to make his life miserable… or if he was actually just trying to protect himself.


	12. Chapter 12

Alarm clocks rang for three in the morning. Danny was the first up, at two-thirty, and immediately gathered the things he would need before heading down to the lobby and awaiting the rest of his crew. Lieutenant Jones came to see them off, as well as Dr. Johnson; Jones gave certain instructions to the young captain while Johnson pulled his nephew aside.

"This is it, Nicholas," Johnson whispered softly. "This is the final test. The very first time any of you are headed into space, and the final chance to prove to Daniel that you can be trustworthy."

"He said that he plans on letting me fly the shuttle," Nicholas replied. "… If that's an improvement."

"For someone like Daniel, it is," Johnson said with a grin. "That shuttle is very important to him, He has flown it only once, but it's the only one of its kind and it was built purely from his designs. If he's letting you fly it, that is a very big step towards trustworthy." Johnson smiled a little more. "Your father would be _very _proud of you, Nicholas. Don't disappoint him."

"I won't."

"And have faith in yourself; you will make a perfect co-pilot for Danny. Just be sure to follow his orders."

"Yessir."

The Lieutenant congratulated everyone once more before Danny directed the astronauts that would be joining him outside. The captain then turned and looked at Nicholas, silently waiting for him to do the same.

Nicholas took a deep breath and walked to the exit. Danny watched him pass before following him out.

Johnson looked on in silence until Jones walked over to him. "He didn't glare," the director announced. "Danny didn't glare at your nephew."

"So he didn't," Johnson replied.

"You think this mission will go smoothly?"

Johnson looked at his boss. "For NASA? I have no doubt, Sir," he said. He stared at the doors and concerned filled his eyes. "It's the crew that I'm worried about."

* * *

The weather predictions had been correct: not a cloud in the sky, hardly a breeze and the sun was shining brightly. Over the state of Florida, USA, it was a beautiful morning.

People gathered outside the launch site of NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Cameras from various TV networks were gathered there with their reporters, announcing the first special mission to take place. It would be the very first time a man-flown shuttle would go further than the moon.

Danny could just feel his heart beat loudly in his chest; he had been in space four times prior to this mission, the first two times being before he had returned from the ghost zone. This would be the very first time he took his shuttle out into space farther than Earth.

He led his crew up to the cockpit of the shuttle. Slowly, the elevator raised the men and women up, who were now all dressed fully in their astronaut suits.

Nicholas stood nearby, staring out the window as they rose. Before him, sitting vertically, nose pointed to the heavens, was the shuttle they would be riding. It still retained the basic form of NASA's original shuttles—snouts and wings that made it nearly identical to an airplane—but it was much flatter and the wings seemed to be able to extend if needed. There were several portholes on its sides, the windows at the front of the shuttle were larger and wider, giving its occupants a better view of the outdoors, and the engines at the rear end of the shuttle seemed larger.

Lancer and the others peered out the same window as Nicholas. "Wow," the astronaut whispered in awe. "It almost looks like some kind of huge _speeder._ Like something from _Star Wars _or _Star Trek."_ He looked at Danny, as did the others. "Is this our ship?" he asked.

Danny looked at him before staring out the window as well. "Yep," he said with a small grin. "Designed specifically for these types of missions. She holds more fuel than the regular shuttles and she can fly faster. And what's more, thanks to the improvement in technology, we can now regulate the amount of gravity in the ship." He looked at Lancer and smiled cleverly. "Which means that we can walk around properly like we can on Earth. If needed, to store energy, we'll turn the gravity controller off, but we normally keep it on all the time."

"Are you _serious?"_ Jacob asked with a laugh as he turned and stared at the shuttle again. "We're _that _advanced, now?"

"Only for this type of mission. And for my shuttle. Certain areas on the ship _are _without gravity, but most of it is controlled."

Arthur stared at the shuttle in wonder. "She's beautiful," he said in awe. "Unlike anything I've ever seen before. She looks like she'd fly amazingly well in space. And silently. Almost like a… like a—!"

"—Ghost," Judy added in a whisper. "That's the first thing I thought of when I saw this baby too."

Nicholas looked at them and then stared at Danny. Danny sighed and looked at the ground. "I'm still trying to decide if that's a good thing or not," he muttered incredibly softly—no one but Nicholas had heard.

They reached the top of the elevator. Danny immediately placed his helmet over his head and locked it in place. "Okay, kids," he announced. "Time to cover your heads."

Everyone imitated his action and put on their helmets and slid their protective layer over it. This was used like sunglasses, only a hundredfold stronger.

The doors slid open and Danny walked onto the platform that led to the cockpit of the ship. Nicholas and the others followed in singlefile.

"_This is _sweet, _man,"_ Jacob announced over their communicator. _"My family's watchin' this right now! I feel like a superstar!"_

"_My best friend's down there somewhere," _Melissa added.

"_Not that this is an interesting conversation, but I'd like it if you guys could concentrate," _Danny said. "_Once we get inside, everyone will get into their proper seats and remain there until I say so."_

"_Yessir,"_ a few astronauts announced.

They walked into the shuttle and immediately climbed to where they had to sit. Arriving in the cockpit, Nicholas was amazed at how large it was and how much space there was for them to move.

"_Yep, I was right," _Lancer said; _"We're in a Star Trek movie."_

While everyone found their stations and buckled down, Danny and Nicholas made their way to the front of the ship and sat in the driver's seats. They grabbed the belts and buckled themselves down tightly. _"Houston, this is Shuttle B-614, over,"_ Danny announced over his communicator. _"Crew is in tight…"_ He fiddled with a few switches and knobs before grabbing the controls. _"Systems are at 100%. We are good to go."_

"_Copy that, B-614,"_ came Lieutenant Jones' voice. _"We are commencing five minute countdown."_

"_T-minus five minutes."_

Danny turned his head and looked at Nicholas, although it was impossible for either of them to see each other through their protective solar sheet. _"Watch what I do,"_ he instructed. _"Normally you won't need to start the mission, but just in case anything happens to put you in charge of this shuttle, watch and learn."_

"_Yessir," _Nicholas replied.

There were a few minutes of silence before Houston spoke up again. _"Once passed the space station, you guys are on yer own until you come back," _Jones announced. _"We can still communicate, but we won't be able to send any help if trouble arrives. Daniel, keep them all safe, and let's hope that training of yers actually did them some good."_

"_Copy that,"_ Danny replied.

"_Nicholas, your first duty is to stand by your Captain, no matter what."_

"_Yessir,"_ Nicholas answered.

"_Anything else we should know?"_ Danny wondered.

There was a moment of silence before Jones spoke up again. _"Yer wife called," _he said. _"She told me to tell you that you'd better come back in one piece, or else she'd kill you."_

Members of the crew and those back in Texas started chuckling. Danny rolled his eyes. _"If she calls back, tell her I love her too,"_ he said.

"_Good luck, A-Team."_

Danny flicked a switch and stared out the windshield. _"Okay, people,"_ he said. _"Time to hit the road. T-minus 20 seconds…"_

Nicholas could hear his heart pounding in his ears. This was the very first time he would be going into space on an actual mission.

"… _T-minus 15 seconds…"_

He held his breath and raised his head. This was it.

Danny held the controls tightly. _"T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"_ He flicked a switch and the shuttle immediately began to rumble as the engines roared. _"We have lift off!"_

Nicholas was immediately sucked against the back of his seat as the rockets propelled the shuttle and the large fuel tank upwards at an incredible speed. He was sure that, if not for his suit, his body would never have been able to properly take the pressure.

For the next few minutes, they continued to rise higher and higher into the sky. Very soon, the sky began to slowly grow darker and stars began to appear.

"_Night time already?"_ Jacob joked.

The rockets ejected themselves and with the aid of parachutes, began the long fall back down to the ground. After a few more dozen seconds, Danny kept his hands on the steering rods for a few more seconds until he raised his hand and pressed a button. _"Releasing Fuel tank,"_ he announced.

The giant beast of a tank that had guided them upwards finally broke away and descended back down towards Earth, disintegrating in the atmosphere as it did.

For a long time, no one spoke. They only stared out the window at the glorious sight before them.

"_Oh, my gosh,"_ Melissa said in wonder. _"Look at her; she's so _beautiful."

"_Who'da thunk that the hunk of rock everyone complains about is actually the most picturesque planet in our solar system?" _Lancer announced. _"Hoo, hoo, if my bro could see this, he'd flip out of his socks!"_

"_It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,"_ Arthur added. _"Seeing Earth from the heavens; seeing it the same way God sees it."_

Danny grinned as his crew marveled the beauty of their home planet. The atmosphere that protected Earth seemed to glow dimly, like a pale blue light. It always amazed him how that thin bubble, which sheltered the planet and its inhabitants from the vacuum of space, was so similar to a ghost shield, which could be used to protect his hometown from the dangers of the Ghost Zone.

"_I've never seen anything like it,"_ Nicholas whispered in awe. _"My dad used to tell me stories about what Earth looked like from up here, but he said that I could never understand him fully unless I tried it out myself… I guess that's part of the reason I became an astronaut."_

"_Seeing _is _believing,"_ Danny said softly. He looked down at the controls. _"Of course, _not _seeing is believing too," _he added under his breath. He waited a few moments before finally contacting Command Center._ "Houston, this is Shuttle B-614, do you read, over?"_

"_Loud an' clear, B-614,"_ Lieutenant Jones replied. _"Everything under control?"_

"_Sure; if you don't count the light show." _Danny chuckled. _"Shoulda packed some popcorn for dinner and a movie for these guys."_

There were a few laughs over the radio. _"Good job, Daniel,"_ Jones chuckled. _"You can activate the gravity once everyone's out of their seats."_

"_Yessir."_

Danny let go of the controls and unbuckled his seat. "_Okay, folks!"_ he sighed. _"Time to get up and stretch."_ He unlocked his helmet and pulled it off as he floated into the air. "Don't be scared; you can breathe."

Everyone pulled their helmets off and got out of their seats. Some shouted in surprise as they floated up into the air.

"Hey! I feel as light as a feather!" Jacob giggled, slowly waving his arms about.

Lancer did a frontward flip, turning slowly around. "I can do stuff that could snap my neck on Earth, dude," he said. "This is sweet!"

"Captain, what if you start feeling nauseous?" another man asked, placing a hand over his stomach. A few others seemed to be doing the same.

"That's called Space sickness," Danny explained. "You'll get used to it." He pushed off of his chair and floated passed everyone towards the back door. "In the medical room, there are special bags for those who feel like throwing their breakfast up," he explained. "It happens to everyone."

The door slid open and he opened a slot in the wall. Reaching in, he played with a few buttons and knobs until gravity was restored and everyone floated gently back down to the floor. "This is where the anti-gravity switch is," Danny explained. "No one is allowed to touch it unless I ask them too, is that clear?"

"Yessir," the crew replied.

Danny dusted himself off and began walking down the corridor. "Let's get you sick guys to the infirmary," he announced. "The rest of you, follow me; I'll give you a tour of B-614."

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** weeeee! I am so glad I finally got time to update this much! LOLLLL_

_So Danny's finally in space, guys! I'll try to do a sketch of the ship to show you all, but that may come later on. I've got a lot of other issues to deal with first._

_Expect chapter 13 up next week! I'm doing it once a week for DP because I STILL have a writers block on the next story, and unfortunately I don't seem to want to write other ones just yet. Don't worry; I've got at least Four more stories completed, haha! And a fifth one about Sam's mom's cat. XDDDD That one was fun to write, dedicated to my dad because he feels like Danny when he talks about my little prince back at home XDDDDDDD_

_Anyway, these chappies were gifts for my little sistah, Steph (ecokitty on deviantart) and dear Katie and Mo. Because I still love Danny and I will always love you guys! *hugs*  
_


	13. Chapter 13

After having a good tour of the shuttle, the Astronauts went to inspect their dormitories and organize their things. Once this was through, those who had positions in the medical wing and the supplies left to start their tasks; the rest either did check lists to make sure the shuttle was up and running properly, or returned to their positions on the main deck.

"We on course, Lancer?" Danny asked as Nicholas sat down beside him at the front of the shuttle.

Lancer typed in a few commands and checked his computer screen. "Yep," he replied. He looked at a map NASA had provided them on paper. "Right on track. If we don't meet up with any trouble or space junk, we should be able to reach our destination within… I'd say three days."

"Sweet; three days there, and three days back," the man sitting next to him said with a grin. "Exactly—or nearly—a week in space!"

"And a week away from noisy relatives," another man muttered, making his partner laugh.

"On NASA's normal shuttles, it would take about that much to get to the moon," Melissa announced. "But with _this _baby, we can save _hours _of time!"

"Where exactly are we headed again, Sir?" Lancer asked Danny, looking up at his captain.

Danny fiddled with a few switches. "A dark asteroid," he replied. "The Lieutenant needs us to bring some samples back from it so that Dr Johnson can study them."

"Aaand this is supposed to be a meeting place for _ghosts, _right?"

"Possibly. But hardly any go out into space."

"How do you _know _all of this?"

Danny fell incredibly silent. He did not look up from the radar screens before him, nor did he make any other movement.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for him to answer.

Nicholas, having already known the answer, decided to break the silence and looked at his friend. "What the Captain knows is his business, Lancer," he announced. "His parents _are _ghost hunters, remember?"

Lancer stared at him in shock, having not expected Nicholas to reply. "Well, yeah," he said, "But I doubt his own parents would know this much about the hideouts of ghosts."

"Some things are better left unknown, Lancer," Nicholas added, remembering Danny's words while they were training. "Besides; it has nothing to do with our mission. We need to gather some samples for NASA, and we don't need to know everything Dr. Fenton knows in order to get the job done correctly. So let's just set it aside and keep doing our jobs."

Lancer raised his hands. "Okay, okay," he replied, getting back to work. "Didn't mean to get into something personal, Nick. If it's not important, I guess it's not important."

Once everyone had returned to their duties, Nicholas looked at Danny. The black-haired astronaut continued to stare silently at the controls, neither blinking nor moving.

"Sir?" Nicholas said very quietly.

Danny finally blinked and raised his head. He looked up at Nicholas for a split second before straightening his back and steering the shuttle. "That wasn't necessary," he said softly.

"I told Lieutenant Jones that I'd stand by my captain no matter what," Nicholas replied. He looked out the window. "An order's an order, whether either of us like it or not."

Danny looked at him again in silence before continuing his flying in quietly.


	14. Chapter 14

The first day in space was routine; everyone did what their roles asked, and whatever order Danny gave, they followed. The astronauts who were nauseous at the beginning of the day soon returned to their positions.

When the digital clock announced that it was time for rest, Danny put the ship into auto-pilot and everyone retreated to their cabins for the night. When morning would arrive, music beamed from Earth would wake them up to start a new day.

Nicholas found that the night was rather peaceful and restful. After a long day of watching Danny manoeuvre the shuttle and listening to the few instructions he gave, the red-haired astronaut was glad to call it a day. Not only was it uncomfortable sitting next to a man that had mixed or confused feelings about him, but Danny seemed to be just as uncomfortable about it as Nicholas was.

Nicholas was the first up when the music rang in his ears. He was the first to eat the food they had and the first on the main deck. Slowly afterwards, the rest of the crew arouse and got back to work.

Surprisingly, Danny was the very last to get up.

Lancer walked over to Nicholas as the man was busy waiting for certain data files to print from the computer. The brown-haired astronaut leaned against the system. "You notice anything strange about the Cap'n this morning, Nick?" he asked softly.

Nicholas gathered all the papers together. "Strange as in what?" he wondered.

"Strange as in _disturbed."_

These words caused Nicholas to look up at him. Lancer nodded his head in the direction of their captain, who was presently sitting in the pilot's seat writing something down in a journal.

"He looks tired," Lancer whispered. "Like, _really _tired. He's got something on his mind, dude; something that's _seriously _bothering him."

Nicholas looked at him worriedly.

"Arthur and Jacob noticed it too," Lancer continued. "Art said that he heard thumping in the Captain's cabin last night, and this is over the music that was playing in his ears. And when he finally got out of bed, Jake said that he looked as though he hadn't had a night's rest. And get this…" Lancer leaned towards Nicholas. "Apparently, he was _shivering _as if he was standing outside in a blizzard in nothing but his bare skin. When he brushed by Mel, she said his skin felt like ice."

Nicholas bit his lip nervously and looked at Danny again. Danny continued to write information down in the journal, stopping just briefly to shake a shiver out of his body.

"I'm just the map guy here, but it looks like he's _really _worried about something," Lancer said with a hint of concern in his voice. "Maybe you should talk to him."

"_Me?"_ Nicholas whispered in surprise. "What makes you think _I'll _make it better?"

"Because you're the one who sits next to him and the only one who probably knows what's goin' on."

"Lancer, he won't talk to me if it's not about the mission, trust me; I'm still on his bad side."

"Dude, I don't know what you did to _get _on his bad side, but whatever it was, it can't be all that bad."

Nicholas scoffed and looked back at his data files. "Says you," he muttered.

"Look, Nick; the point is that something's on his mind, and it's beginning to worry not only me, but the rest of the crew," Lancer said sternly. "And he won't talk to anyone else about this. If he does, it will be his co-pilot. You've got to try _something."_

Nicholas sighed and rolled his eyes tiredly. "Fine, I'll try," he said. "But he probably won't talk to me."

He turned and headed back to his seat at the front of the cockpit.

Danny did not look up when he sat down. He continued to write a few words in his journal before speaking. "I've had a change of mind," he announced softly. "I'm gonna let you take the controls today instead of tomorrow."

Nicholas looked at him in surprise. "You want me to fly the shuttle now?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I've… got things to think through. You know how to control it; if you have any problems, just let me know."

Nicholas set his papers down and grabbed his steering rod. But before he turned the auto-pilot off, he looked at his commander and took a deep breath. "Sir, is something on your mind?" he asked quietly.

Danny did not reply, but only kept writing things down.

"Dr. Fenton, Sir?"

Again, he received no reply.

Nicholas nervously looked away before deciding to attempt once more at making the man speak. "Captain, I was just—!"

"If I'm not answering your question, Dr. Stevenson, it means you won't get an _answer,"_ Danny finally announced dryly without raising his head. "If something is on my mind, it's none of your concerns."

"I don't mean to be rude, Sir, but it's not only _me _who's noticed it," Nicholas announced. When Danny finally stopped writing and looked up at him, Nicholas continued. "Lancer, Arthur, Jacob, Melissa; they've _all _noticed that something's up. You're worried about something, and it's making the crew restless."

Danny blinked before looking over his shoulder and staring at the room around him.

"I know it's got something to do with _you-know-what,_ Sir," Nicholas said in a whisper, causing Danny to turn his head quickly in his direction. "You sense something, don't you—!"

"Shut _up!"_ Danny snapped quietly through his teeth, leaned towards the man. He glared furiously at his co-pilot. "You have _no _right to speak of that, es_pecially _on this ship!"

Nicholas leaned back in fright, although Danny only leaned closer. Danny's eyes turned green and glowed with anger. "If I hear you mention anything about that on this mission again, I'll demote you," he warned. "You're treading on forbidden grounds, Doctor, grounds I _warned _you never to trespass on again. What goes on in my head, what I _sense, _and what I know, is none of your concern. Don't try to be helpful, because it's not working." Danny narrowed his eyes. "Do I make myself clear?"

Nicholas swallowed hard and nodded his head. "Crystal, Sir," he replied.

Danny's eyes returned to normal as he leaned away and then stood up. "I'm going to do rounds," he announced, closing his journal. "Fly the ship, but don't steer away from our course."

"Y-yessir."

Danny stepped around his seat and walked off. Nicholas looked over his shoulder and watched the man leave until the back door closed behind him. Then he sighed and leaned his head back.

Lancer walked up to him. "So?" he asked. "What did you get?"

Nicholas opened his eyes and glared at him. "Oh, shut up," he muttered.


	15. Chapter 15

The rest of the morning and most of the afternoon took place just as the first day did. The only differences were that Danny had remained on _his rounds _the entire day, and hardly set a foot on the command deck, unless it was do assist someone. Nicholas found himself flying the shuttle on his own.

He hardly got up from his seat. Not only did he not want to disappoint Danny any further, but he was simply overwhelmed by the immense beauty and endlessness of the universe around him. Stars seemed to come in every size, every color and every direction. They passed by the moon that afternoon, which proved just how quickly the shuttle could actually fly.

If it had not been for what happened near the end of the afternoon, Nicholas would have forgotten all about his and Danny's strained relationship.

A computer started whining, catching everyone's attention. Nicholas looked over his shoulder.

Melissa turned in her chair and looked at him. "We have a problem, Nicholas," she said worriedly.

"What is it?" Nicholas asked.

"The radars are detecting a large mass of some kind of space debris coming up. But I can't make out what it _is_ exactly—!"

Nicholas turned back to the controls and looked at his radar once Melissa sent him the feedback. "It looks like green polka-dots," he muttered.

"You think it's an asteroid field or something?" Arthur guessed.

"I dunno; this doesn't look like the asteroid fields _I've _seen on normal radars before. Why are they green instead of—!"

Suddenly, the entire ship filled with loud alarm wails. Everyone looked up in shock. "What the heck's goin' on?" Lancer exclaimed. "I've never heard a shuttle alarm like _that _before, never mind go off when there's just an asteroid field!"

The back door suddenly slid open and Danny walked in swiftly. "What's going on?" he asked urgently, headed for the pilot's seat. "Status report, Dr. Krahn."

"The radars have detected some kind of debris ahead, Sir," Melissa replied. "Like an asteroid field."

"But it's showing up as green on the computers," Arthur added as Danny sat down and buckled himself in. "I didn't think asteroid fields recorded like that."

"That's because they _don't,"_ Danny replied, staring out the window.

"Then what is it?"

Danny pulled out a pair of enhanced vision binoculars and held them up to his eyes. He stared across the field of stars before the ship and remained silent for a few moments.

Everyone stared at him worriedly as the alarms continued to wail. Nicholas held the controls tightly in his grasp.

After a minute or two, Danny put down the binoculars and looked on. "That's not an asteroid field," he said softly. "Those alarms wouldn't have gone off if it was just an asteroid field."

"What is it, then?" Lancer asked.

"It's a field of _ectoranium _debris."

"Ecto _what?"_

"Ectoranium," Arthur repeated. "It's an anti-ghost substance. The asteroid that threatened to destroy Earth fifteen years ago was made of that stuff."

Lancer sighed and sat back in his seat. "Well, if it's just that, we could grab a sample of them as we pass by," he said. "We could land on one and bring it back for Dr. Johnson—!"

"—We will _not _be landing on _anything _anti-ghost," Danny interrupted sternly. He grabbed the radio and held it up to his mouth. "Attention shuttle crew; this is your captain speaking," he announced over the intercom. "I need all of you to buckle down immediately and stay where you are. We are about to pass through a field of ectoranium debris, which can damage the ship. Please remain calm and stay where you are until I give the order to get back up."

The words _damage the ship _made everyone incredibly anxious. "Captain Fenton, Sir, what did you mean by _damage _the ship?" Lancer asked worriedly.

Danny flipped a few switches. "It's just the way the shuttle was designed, Lancer," he replied. "Anything anti-ghost could damage it." He looked at Nicholas. "Steer her through gently."

"Through _that?"_ Nicholas asked meekly and nervously. "Are you sure?"

"You have the controls. I saw how you manoeuvred the flight simulation testing at NASA, and if you could do it there, you can do it here. Just don't panic."

Nicholas looked at him for a split second before turning his eyes away and staring at the field of glowing asteroids before them. "Easy for you to say," he muttered.

Danny was not pleased with those words. He frowned at him. "At least that stuff won't _kill_ you," he muttered behind his teeth.

Nicholas looked at him again before turning away once more.

"Just stay on course, use the computers as side-view mirrors, and stay calm."

Everyone fell incredibly silent after that moment. The only time Danny spoke was when he contacted NASA and told them of what they had to pass.

Nicholas could feel his heart pound rapidly against his rib cage. His hands began to shake the further he entered the field. He tried taking deep breaths, all the while trying to stay as calm as he could.

Danny neither looked at him nor at anyone else. He only kept his eyes on the field before him, back against his chair and hands clutching the arms of the seat tightly.

A small piece of a glowing green asteroid hit the top of the shuttle, bouncing harmlessly off of it. Nicholas cowered at the sound echoing above them before looking at his captain.

Danny inhaled painfully and shut his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them and staring out the window. "Stay _calm,"_ he said very softly.

Nicholas swallowed with difficulty and tried not to panic. Now, he knew why Danny wanted him to steer calmly; if the shuttle suffered anti-ghost damages, there was a chance that Danny would be able to feel the pain as well.

For the next few minutes or so, Nicholas was able to control his anxiety to a certain degree and was able to evade any small chunks of ectoranium. But the further they entered the field, the larger the pieces became. Some were even the size of a house.

"Holy cow, that one must be the size of my dad's Ferrari!" Lancer gasped as they watched one pass by.

"Is it just me, or are they getting bigger?" a woman wondered aloud.

"Bigger and _closer,"_ Melissa gasped. "Captain, there's a _huge _piece straight ahead!"

"I see it," Danny replied solemnly.

Nicholas stared in sheer horror at the giant piece of ectoranium before them. It was nearly the same size as the shuttle, and from Nicholas' point of view, there was absolutely no way he would be able to go around it in time.

Danny leaned forward a little. "Dr. Stevenson, go around it," he said calmly.

Nicholas did not budge; his hands had turned to ice and had frozen in place on the controls.

"Dr. Stevenson, you have enough time to go around it."

The red-haired man stared in fear at the asteroid that loomed closer and closer.

Danny looked at him. "Go around it," he repeated, a little firmer than before.

"I… won't have enough time," Nicholas replied fearfully.

"If you do it now, you will. Now turn."

Nicholas inhaled shakily.

Danny frowned. "Dr. Stevenson, turn _now,"_ he ordered sternly. "That's an order."

"I… can't."

"Yes, you _can._ Turn _now."_

Nicholas remained as immobile as he had been before.

Danny leaned towards him. "I can't _phase through _that," he whispered behind his teeth. "So turn _now!"_

"I _can't,"_ Nicholas replied.

The asteroid loomed over them. Someone in the back gasped. "Nicholas, just do what he says!" Lancer exclaimed worriedly.

Nicholas could feel his heart beating in his ears. It was so loud, he could hardly hear Lancer's words.

"Dr. Stevenson, turn the shuttle _now!"_ Danny ordered loudly.

The asteroid came closer…

"Turn it NOW!"

… And closer…

Nicholas could no longer budge, and he was certain that he could not breathe either. Nothing in his body responded to the commands he tried giving it.

Melissa cried in fright and covered her eyes. Danny looked back at her and then bared his teeth. Reaching over as far as he could, he grabbed Nicholas' controls, pried the man's hands from them and switched the commands over to his. He grabbed his steering rods and pulled back on them as hard as he could.

Immediately, the shuttle tilted upwards as sharp as it could go. The crew shouted in surprise and fright and held onto their seats, afraid that not even their seatbelts could hold them in place.

Nicholas shut his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth. He heard a loud groan as the shuttle's belly scrapped over the asteroid of ectoranium. The alarms flashed red, announcing that damage had come to the shuttle.

Danny groaned loudly in pain, feeling the tremor pass through the ship and into his body, but kept pulling back on the controls as hard as he could.

Within several seconds, he had managed to avoid collision, save the scrape along the bottom of the ship, and flew over the asteroid. He darted passed the rest of the ectoranium field and managed to evade every other asteroid until he had exited the field. Once here, he got back on course and slowed the ship down.

He let go of the controls and placed his hands over the dashboard, hanging his head between them. He panted loudly and heavily.

Slowly, one by one, the astronauts in the room unbuckled themselves and looked around. No one dared to say a word.

Nicholas undid his seat belt yet remained in his former position until he dared to look at his captain.

Danny continued to pant until he turned his head and grabbed the radio. He held it up to his mouth. "Attention all astronauts," he said tiredly in the receiver. "We have now passed the ectoranium field. You are clear to get up and resume your duties." He put the radio down and pressed a finger against his ear. "Houston, this is shuttle B-614," he announced. "We have cleared the field and are back on track. Mission has resumed."

"_Roger that, B-614," _a young man's voice announced. _"Houston out."_

Danny let go of his ear piece and continued to hang his head between his arms. Slowly he got up. His legs shook weakly for a few seconds. He remained in his slouched position over the dashboard.

Nicholas stared worriedly at him, afraid to hear him speak. Everyone else seemed to be holding their breath as well.

Danny panted some more before finally speaking. "What were you _thinking?"_ he said dryly.

Nicholas bit his lip nervously and looked at his hands. "I—!"

"What the _heck _was going through your _brain?"_ Danny snapped loudly, raising his head and glaring at his co-pilot. After watching Nicholas lean back in fright, he bared his teeth and squeezed his fists. "Do you know how much _danger _you just put everyone in? Do you know how much _damage _may have been brought onto the shuttle? I gave you an order and you didn't follow it! You had enough time to turn, but you didn't! WHAT WENT WRONG?"

Everyone was incredibly silent. Lancer, Arthur and everyone else stared at the two pilots in shock, afraid to speak.

Danny spread out his arms. "What, did you _expect _Danny Phantom to come and rescue you or something?" he exclaimed. "That was an asteroid of _ectoranium, _Doctor! It can't be touched by ghosts! Coming in contact with the stuff for too long could even _destroy _them! There was no way through it, so you had to go _around _it! But you _didn't!"_

Nicholas stared at him in fear, and even felt a bit of shame settle in his heart.

Danny breathed loudly through his teeth, and it was at that moment that Nicholas noticed tears filling the man's eyes. The Captain pointed at him. "We could have all _died _because of your close-call, Doctor," he said as his voice began to falter. "No one would have been able to go home! I gave you an order, but you didn't do as you were told! You're not very _good _at following orders, _are _you?"

Nicholas could still hear anger in the man's voice, but the more Danny shouted, the more Nicholas realized that fear was the dominant feeling.

Danny stared at him in silence for a few seconds before putting down his arm and turning on his heels. "Stay on course!" he ordered to everyone present. "Don't concern yourselves about the damage! It'll get repaired! Fly the shuttle, but _don't _call for me until I've finished some business!"

The door slid open, giving him passage, and then closed right behind him. Everyone watched him leave before turning and looking at Nicholas in shock and then concern.

Nicholas tried to ignore the stares. He played with his fingers, wondering what he should do.

Lancer was the first to speak. "You… you really _are _on his bad side, aren't you?" he said quietly, staring at his friend in uneasiness.

Nicholas looked at him for a moment before sighing heavily and burying his face in his hands.


	16. Chapter 16

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**_ I am SO sorry I haven't updated lately! D8 It's really hard to keep track of so many web profiles, and considering this story is nearly ended, I kinda don't want it to. XD But don't worry, I've got at least four or five more Danny Phantom stories to post after this one... I just can't write the other ones I said I would. I just don't have the time anymore._

_So, let's get going shall we?  
_

* * *

Hours went by after that. No one saw or heard from the Captain since he had left. The only thing anyone knew about his whereabouts was that he had locked himself in his cabin. The Captain's cabin was slightly larger than the rest of the crew's retreats; it had enough place for a desk, a bed, a closet and even a bookshelf filled with books and datafiles. The others cabins only had enough room for a small closet and the bed.

When curfew arrived, everyone retreated silently to their cabins. Within thirty minutes, everyone had their earphones in their ears and their eyes closed.

All but Nicholas. While he tried to fall asleep uneasily, he was unable to do so in the end. He felt horrible about that day's events. Not only had he frozen in fear when he knew he could have gone around the asteroid, but a piece of him _did _want to see Danny transform and rescue them.

During those few moments, he forgot that ectoranium was ghost-proof.

After several attempts to try and fall asleep, Nicholas sat up with a sigh and got out of bed. If he was ever going to start making things right, he had to start now.

* * *

For the first few hours, Danny had poured through books and files, trying to empty his mind of the frustration he felt and the fear that still plagued him. One burden after another continued to weigh down on his shoulders, making his heart sink deeper and deeper into solitude.

Fear of leading his crew into danger. Fear of having his secret exposed. Fear of dying in space because of someone's mistake and never being able to return home to his family and friends.

Papers littered the floor around him. He tried writing things down but ended up trashing every paper he used. Books lay scattered on his desk, open. Pencils and pens lay in wait for someone to pick them up.

He had done some pacing in his room; back and forth, back and forth. He had fought the urge of transforming and putting a mask on in order to go flying in space. Nothing he had done seemed to do him any good. It only made him feel even more helpless, useless and afraid.

So, shortly before curfew, he unpacked his holographic communicator, a gift from his best friend, and dialed home.

He cradled his head in his hands as he sat on his office chair, facing the holographic projection of his wife. "I can't _take _this anymore, Sam," he said heavily. "I just _can't!_ Everything he does seems to make things _worse!_ He runs into me, peeks into my room, asks irritating questions and doesn't even follow orders properly!"

"Danny, don't you think you're taking this a _little _too personally?" Sam replied, holding out her hands. "People do things like that when they're curious or nervous. It's called bad habits. Everyone has at least _one."_

"If I let him do anything else, I'll go crazy."

"Danny…"

"We were nearly _killed _today, Sam!" Danny exclaimed, looking up at her. "He froze and didn't follow my orders! We were _this _close to getting blown to bits! And getting the haul of the shuttle scrapped just sent a vibe straight through my brain! I looked at him and he actually looked like he had expected me to transform and phase the ship _through _the ectoranium asteroid!"

"Danny, you _really _need to calm down," Sam said with a hint of concern in her voice. "You're taking this _way _too personally. Did you ever think that Nicholas was maybe scared? I mean, I know _I _would be if I had to try and fly my way out of a mine of anti-ghost debris. He had pressure on him, Danny; pressure _you_ weren't making any better."

Danny sighed and buried his face in his hands. He cried silently and shook his head. "I can't handle this anymore," he said in defeat. "I've tried since the launch to mend things and even try to trust him, but the more I try, the worse it seems to get. I _know _he's trying his best to make things better too, but the more we _both _try, the more I feel cornered. He either asks questions or does something that puts _my _life or my powers in jeopardy. And heading towards a dark asteroid around the same time a Ghost Portal's going to open is making everything _worse._ I'm not only feeling more and more lost, but I feel like I'm leading the entire crew to their _doom."_

Sam stared at him in silence, seeming to know that her husband would continue. Danny uncovered his face and wiped a few tears. "Sometimes I regret ever walking into that stupid ghost portal," he said heavily. "I wouldn't feel as cornered or as in danger. I wouldn't feel responsible for the lives of twelve other people. I wouldn't…" He placed his hands in his hair. "I wouldn't feel torn between trusting a man and wanting to stay as far from him as possible."

"Danny, when you signed up to be a hero, a fun and trouble-free life wasn't written on the fine print," Sam said gently while smiling pitifully. She leaned forward while crossing her arms over her lap. "And it never said that you'd agree with everything that happened, either. But you signed that contract anyway, and look where it's taken you now: you're an astronaut, the youngest to be named a Captain; you're still the respected hero of Amity Park, never mind the world; you have your own shuttle; and you're a married man with a five-year-old son who's inherited two of your powers. Isn't that enough proof that you took the right path? That walking into the ghost portal wasn't just accidental?"

Danny slowly raised his eyes until he was staring at his wife.

"You're just making this whole thing look worse than it seems, that's all," Sam continued. "You're letting fear get the better of you, and because it's winning, you're not realizing just how much you may have in this Nicholas guy. Maybe he's not trustworthy; but maybe he is. And if he is, then that's just another step forward in lightening that burden of carrying your secret identity."

"But how do I know if I can _really _trust him, Sam?" Danny asked. "What if I say that I do, but then he betrays me? What then?"

"Well, then you made a mistake, and Tucker will have to come and wipe his memory with that gadget he made back in high school," Sam said with a shrug. She grinned again. "But what if he _is _trustworthy, Danny? You'll never find out the truth if you don't try to make the situation better. Remember what I told you when you left to meet your new crew? You'll never know what might happen if you don't try it out. Maybe being easier to contact verbally would be the place to start. And calming down would help too."

Danny took a deep breath and exhaled loudly while covering his eyes. "I know," he whispered.

"Don't worry so much about it, Danny."

"I'll… try not to."

Sam leaned back. "Tucker says hi," she said softly. "He watched the launch from Washington DC. He'll be back here tomorrow. Be careful, okay?"

"… Okay."

Sam smiled a little. "Danny."

Danny raised his head and looked up at her.

"I love you."

Danny sighed shakily. "I love you too, Sam," he whispered.

"Cheer up."

"I'll try."

His wife reached over to something outside the projection. "Andy says hi," she added. "And he's currently messing up his room again so that you guys can clean it up when you get back."

Danny exhaled quickly as though he was laughing and smiled weakly behind his hand before looking away to keep his tears from being seen.

"Good night, Danny."

"… Good night, Sam."

Sam smiled once more before the hologram faded away and disappeared. Danny watched it do so and sighed once more before passing a hand through his hair. He sniffed and wiped a few tears away.

_Knock, knock._

The sound of the door sliding open slowly caused Danny to raise his head. He turned it and looked over his shoulder.

Nicholas stepped halfway into the room, holding a tray in his hands. On the tray were a piece of chocolate cake and a mug of warm milk and honey.

Danny stared at the items on the tray and then looked up at his co-pilot in silence.

"I wasn't standing there long," Nicholas announced, recognizing the look in Danny's eyes. He walked into the room. "I'm not lying this time, either." He set the tray down on the desk in front of Danny.

Danny stared at the tray in silence again.

"The milk and honey will make you sleep better," Nicholas added. He turned and walked back to the doorway. Once there, he stopped and turned around to look at his Captain.

Danny had not budged since Nicholas had set down the tray.

"I know I didn't need to do it," Nicholas said softly. "I just felt like I _had _to do it." He paused, looked at his feet and then continued. "And if it helps," he added, raising his head and looking at Danny again, "… I'm sorry I scared you." With that, he left, and the door closed softly behind him.

Danny continued to stare at the tray before him, hands together and sitting against his mouth and chin. He contemplated the sincerity of the man's last words before slowly reaching out and grabbing the mug of milk. Letting the warmth seep into his cold hands and inhaling the sweet smell of honey, he sighed slowly and raised the mug to his lips.


	17. Chapter 17

When morning arrived, no one spoke of the events from the day before. They simply continued on with their duties once Nicholas told them to, and only spoke about who would be chosen to go out on the dark asteroid once they had arrived.

When Danny woke up and came out of his cabin, the members of his crew simply smiled at him or greeted him with a cheerful _good morning, Captain._

Nicholas flew the shuttle again that day, while Danny sat in the seat beside him. Neither of them spoke to each other, and they hardly even looked at each other.

Nicholas did not mind entirely that day; he knew they both had things going through their minds, and he knew that Danny had more than just the landing on _his _mind. The one thing that had in fact allowed Nicholas to calm his nerves down to a certain degree was that the cake he had given his captain the night before had been devoured, and the mug of milk and honey was empty.

A computer beeped, and Lancer looked up. "We're nearing destination, Captain," he announced.

Danny looked up at him from the map he was studying. "Good," he said softly. He looked at the map again. "How much longer, Dr. McCarthy?"

Arthur typed in a command and looked up at him. "About an hour, Sir," he replied.

Nicholas looked at Danny. To his surprise, he found a worried look on the man's face as he studied the map he had in his hands. "Great," Danny muttered incredibly softly. "Just… great."

Nicholas decided to remain silent that time; if Danny needed encouragement, it certainly was not at that moment, when he seemed to be incredibly concerned about something. Instead, the red-haired man would wait until his commander decided whether or not to tell him.

"The Ghost Portal's gonna open about sixty minutes after _that,"_ Danny whispered worriedly, almost as though he had sensed Nicholas' curious mind. Danny placed a hand over his mouth and nervously tapped his finger against his cheek.

Nicholas looked at him again for a second before continuing to fly the ship in silence.

The hour passed quickly. If it had not been for the computers and radars, Nicholas would not have been able to see their destination approach.

"Captain, the asteroid is right ahead of us," Melissa announced.

Nicholas squinted and tried to see better in the dark, although Danny seemed to be having no difficulty at all. "I can't see it," he said softly.

"Just follow my instructions," Danny replied just as quietly, leaning forward.

The others behind them seemed to be struggling to see the same thing as well. "Sir, where is it?" a man asked aloud.

"Right there," Danny said. He looked at the computer screens before them. "Use the computers and radars to guide you if your eyes can't see anything, Dr. Stevenson," he instructed.

"Y-yessir." Nicholas looked down at the computer screens and could just see the surface of the black mass before them. Trying to calm his anxiety and follow his captain's orders, he slowly began to land the shuttle.

The landing gear came out of the belly of the shuttle while rockets began blowing from below it as well. The computer screen that monitored the rockets began to flash red.

An astronaut under Arthur's command looked up. "Captain Fenton, Sir, the landing rockets aren't working properly," he said.

"Because of the damage from yesterday," Danny agreed. "Ignore it. Dr. Stevenson, turn the rockets on low so that they don't melt the haul and continue to land the way you're landing."

"Isn't that going to bring more damage, Sir?" Nicholas wondered.

"Just a bit, but nothing our engineers can't fix. It'll be just a little rough, but you'll land fine. We'll need the rocket power to lift off quickly afterwards, so conserve it."

Nicholas reached over and turned a knob. Gradually, the rockets cut their power down to low and only stopped once the shuttle had landed with a few dull _thuds._

People muttered in surprise as the ship shook.

Danny grabbed an earphone set and placed one side to his left ear while Nicholas let the controls go and put them into lock. "Houston, this is Shuttle B-614, do you copy?" he said.

"_Loud and clear, B-614,"_ came the voice of one of his crew members that had remained on Earth.

"We have just landed on our destination," Danny continued. "We are preparing to disembark. Stand by for any updates."

"_Yessir, over."_

Danny put the headset down and stood up. "Okay, people; time to do what we came to do," he said, turning to face his crew. "Five of us will step out and gather the samples that we need. Dr. Stevenson and I will be two of them, and the three others I spoke to earlier today will be coming as well. Drs. Erickson, McCarthy and Krahn, you stay on board and watch our progress." He pointed at the doorway. "Time to suit up, kids."


	18. Chapter 18

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _**_I am SO SORRY! It's really hard keeping track of two websites, but I am back with two more chapters. I'll try posting the rest this week and then on with the next Danny Phantom story... Granted I can finish that one._

* * *

Nicholas and the three other astronauts chosen for the sample picking followed Danny down the corridors until they had reached the airlock of the shuttle, where their suits were being held. Danny walked over to his. "This is the Extravehicular Mobility Unit," he announced, grabbing the different pieces of the suit. "For short, the EMU. This is what you guys will be wearing whenever you leave the shuttle. These are the pieces that make the famous astronaut suit you guys see on TV and in story books. The only difference is that, considering our missions are special, so are the suits. They are just as durable as the regular EMUs, but slightly thinner and lighter. It allows more movement."

He held up a pair of shorts and tossed one piece to everyone. "You guys know how to get changed," he said. "So let's get to it."

One by one, the astronauts suited up. First came the Urine Containment System, the UCS, which were the shorts Danny had held up. Then followed the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG); the Lower Torsos Assembly of the suit; and the Hard Upper Torso. For the HUT, which was hanging on the wall, each astronaut had to duck beneath it and dive up into it in order to properly fit inside and assemble it together. Once all the connections between each piece of the EMU were in place and their communications were on, they grabbed their helmets and placed them over their heads.

"This is the funniest way to dress for work," one of the other three astronauts announced, placing his helmet in place. "We put an adult diaper on. My sister is never gonna hear the end of this."

Danny tapped his helmet. "We won't need the sun visors because the asteroid is safely hidden from the sun," he explained over their communications. "And our suits will be able to take the cold temperatures out there. But make sure your communicators are up, so that if you feel any slight difference in temperature, you can alert me or someone on the crew."

"Yessir," the astronauts replied.

Danny pulled himself away from the wall and walked over to a steel cabinet in the corner. "Our suits have the proper gear we need for scooping up the samples," he explained, "but not the means of protecting ourselves." He turned around and tossed a ghost ray gun to each of them.

The woman gasped and caught hers before staring at it. "A Ghost Blaster?" she said, looking at her captain through her helmet. "Are we really going to need this?"

"We may or may not," Danny replied, pulling out the map of the Ghost Zone he had been studying earlier. "Best to be on the safe side, if you ask me."

"Why don't you have one?"

"I… don't need one. I've got a Fenton Thermos on my suit. That's all I need." Danny opened his map and looked at it. "Listen up, folks: we've got only one hour to get this job done. Don't pick anything else than what we need, and don't take anything more than what is asked. We want this mission done and over with, Capiche?"

"What if we take longer than that?" the third astronaut asked.

"We won't."

"But what if we—!"

"We _won't,"_ Danny repeated firmly. "If you guys stay close to me, we won't spend any more time on there than we need, clear?"

"… Y-yessir."

The first of the three astronauts pointed at Danny's map. "What is that?" he asked.

Danny looked at it. "Just a map," he replied, closing it up and tucking it away. "Nothing you need to worry about." He turned to face the lift that would carry them down and out of the shuttle. "Okay, Dr. McCarthy; lower us down," he announced in the microphone.

"_Yessir, Captain,"_ Arthur replied. _"Doors are sealed tight; lowering shaft now."_

The ground they were standing on slowly began to lower. Nicholas stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance. This was it. This would be the first time he stepped out into space.

He suddenly began to wonder if it was a good thing or not.

"Hoooooie; check out the landscape!" the first astronaut announced as they stepped out from beneath the ship.

"It's like staring up at the sky in our backyard, only better!" the woman exclaimed.

"_And _bigger!"

Nicholas took two leaps forward and stared at the vastness of space around him. "It's amazing," he whispered. "Dad was right; you never know what beauty really is until you see the universe."

"And you can see the moon from here too," the third man announced, pointing in a direction. "And that blue dot there; is that Earth?"

"Wow-o-wow-o-_wow!"_ the first man laughed.

Danny pulled out an ecto-detector and began walking forward. He activated his search light on his helmet. "Okay, guys, let's get to work," he announced. "Scoop up a few rocks and dust you find until the container you've got is filled. But remember to stay where I can see you."

They immediately set off to work, exploring the asteroid while speaking to each other about the beauty of space and what stories they would have to share with their families once they returned to Earth.

Nicholas stayed near Danny, remembering the Lieutenant's order to stand near his captain. If a ghost portal was to open soon, Nicholas wanted to make sure everyone, including his commander, was safe from harm.

Even if Danny _did _already know how to take care of himself.

They walked about for the next thirty minutes, sometimes whistling and sometimes singing. Every now and then, they would take giant leaps into the air and land in silly positions. Even Nicholas found himself enjoying the fun.

But Danny did not. Although he had done so in the past before, this time was different. He kept pulling out his map and looking at it, making sure they had ample of time left to do their work.

After several more minutes, however, a sound high above them suddenly caused Danny to gasp and look up. There was a bright flash of light and then a green circle of swirling light began to take shape.

Danny stared at it in horror before looking at his map again. "Oh, no," he said worriedly.

Nicholas and the others looked at him, having heard what he said over their communicators. "Sir?" Nicholas said. "Is everything alright?"

Danny did not look up at him. "How long have we been out here, Dr. McCarthy?" he asked.

"_About forty-five minutes, Captain,"_ Arthur's voice replied. _"Why?"_

Danny looked upwards. Nicholas and the three other astronauts looked up as well and gasped.

"What in tarnation?" the first man exclaimed.

Danny stared at his map again. "It's changed time," he said worriedly. "The portal's opening _now."_

"The _what?"_ the woman exclaimed.

"Someone must have detected me."

"What are you talking about, Sir?" the third man asked fearfully.

Danny looked at Nicholas. "Have you all found samples?" he asked urgently.

Nicholas nodded. "Yeah, we each have enough for studying," he replied. "Plenty of ectoplasma remains to take home."

"Good. Then load it onto the ship."

"Sir?"

Danny closed the map. "We need to lift off of this place _now,_ Doctor," he said a little more urgently than before. "No questions."

Nicholas began to share the same anxiety as the other three astronauts. He looked at them worriedly before staring at his commander again. "Captain, what's going on?" he asked fearfully.

Danny opened his mouth, but to everyone's surprise, his breath came out visible and fogged up the bottom half of his transparent visor. The man stared at it and gasped softly before pointing at the shuttle. "Get everyone on board _now, _Dr. Stevenson," he ordered firmly. He looked aside. "Dr. McCarthy, get everyone set for takeoff. We're leaving immediately."

"_Yessir,"_ Arthur replied.

Nicholas held out his arms. "What about you?" he asked.

Danny waved an arm in front of him. "Forget about me," he replied. "I need to make sure this area is clear for takeoff. Get in the ship, all of you."

"But, Sir—!"

"That's an _order, _Doctor!" Danny scolded loudly. "_Get in the ship, NOW!"_

Nicholas stared at him in concern for a second longer before turning and looking at the others. "Come on, guys; we need to get on the ship, now," he said, ushering them off.

"What about the captain?" the woman wondered.

"He'll follow us. Now come on."

* * *

Danny watched them leap for the shuttle a few dozen yards away before turning towards the portal. With a frown, he turned off his searchlight, casting his entire body into darkness so that no one on the shuttle could see him, and then took several bounds off to the side to change his position. There, he came to a stop and crouched low, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The portal flashed once more and out of it flew an all too-familiar spirit. Danny recognized it from one of the ghosts that used to attack him on a regular basis as a teenager.

He narrowed his eyes as they turned green. "Technus," he said under his breath. _He must be here to steal the technology on the shuttle,_ he thought. _And who knows how powerful he is now, considering I've been stuck in the ghost zone for five years. Let's just hope it isn't as bad as I think it is._

He noticed Technus spot the shuttle, and after recognizing the crew members that were still hoping towards it, the ghost smiled and immediately took chase.

Danny gasped, knowing that the amount of technology in their suits was enough for the ghost to harm, even destroy, the four astronauts. He bared his teeth. "Time to turn the tables, Technus," he growled as a halo of light appeared around his waist. "_And _time for a change of suits. GOING GHOST!"


	19. Chapter 19

It was indeed Technus. Technus had been a plague in Danny's side for several years of his childhood, and had already proven his power over technology. If anyone had been able to detect Danny's arrival in the new shuttle, it was him.

Technus looked around while grinning. "Just as I expected," he said. "The dark asteroid nearest to the moon…" He looked at the shuttle and smiled deviously. "And Danny Phantom's space shuttle! Hoo, chalk _full _with fresh and new technology! And what's more; it's technology designed by the ghost hunter himself! Controlling this will make is _easy _to take over NASA and the rest of its satellites!"

He suddenly spotted the four astronauts that were headed for the shuttle and laughed. "Oh, what fun!" he said. "Instead of over shadowing the humans, let's take over their suits and destroy them from there!" He rubbed his hands together. "A perfect bait for Danny Phantom, if I do say so myself!"

He immediately sped towards the shuttle, laughing deviously as he did.

Nicholas leaped towards the lift and turned to look at his crewmates. "Come on, guys, almost there," he encouraged. "Almost—!"

He suddenly caught a glimpse of the ghost that was headed his way. He looked up at it and gasped in shock before waving his arm rapidly. "HURRY UP, HURRY UP!" he cried out to the others. "Arthur, get ready with the lift, now!"

"_But what about that Captain?"_ Arthur wondered.

"Just look out your window and you'll get my drift!"

This caused the other astronauts to stop and turn around. Upon seeing the ghost, they gasped in horror.

"_Oh, my _God," Arthur gasped.

"A GHOST!" the woman exclaimed as they pulled out their blasters.

All four astronauts began shooting rays at the spirit. Technus only smiled and laughed while throwing a ghost shield over his body.

"That's Technus!" Nicholas exclaimed. "The Spirit of Tehcnology!"

"How do you know that?" the first man asked.

"Hello; from the training, you idiot!" the third shouted.

Nicholas ceased firing. "His techno shield is too powerful!" he said. "Our guns don't have any effect!"

Technus stopped flying and hovered a few dozen feet above them. "No, they're just as powerful," he replied. "But not as quick! You need to be a few nano-seconds faster, humans!" He swooped down and charged for them. "But too late now! HA, HA, HA!"

The woman screamed in fright as they backed away towards the lift.

Technus smiled while baring his teeth and was about to collide with them when something else shot out from the side and made an impact with him. The ghost cried out in surprise and flew a few feet out of control.

Nicholas and the others uncovered their eyes and gasped.

Danny Phantom hovered into view while clenching his glowing fists. He was dressed in an extremely thin EMU suit, decorated in the same design as his usual jumpsuit, adorned by the symbolic D. A simple mask covered his face and a tube trailed from it to the small oxygen pack he had on his shoulders.

Nicholas stared at him in awe.

Danny growled at his enemy. "Game over, Technus!" he shouted, pointing at him. "You seemed to have forgotten what happens when you test me!"

"Danny Phantom!" one of the astronauts gasped.

"_I see him!"_ Arthur exclaimed.

"_What's he doing all the way out here in space?"_ Lancer's voice wondered.

"_He must have come out of the Ghost Portal too."_

Danny, still capable of hearing them speak through the communications of his ghost mask, turned and pointed at the lift. "Get on the shuttle," he ordered. "Take off your suits and get onto the command deck as fast as possible. Lift off immediately."

"But what about our Captain?" the woman wondered. "He's still out there!"

"Don't worry about him!" Danny replied. "I'll get him on the shuttle once I get rid of Technus! You're his first priority! Now move it!"

The three astronauts immediately turned and dashed for the lift. Nicholas hesitated and stared at the ghost with concern in his eyes.

Danny stared back at him sternly. "That means you too," he said. "Get this shuttle out of here now."

"But—!"

"NOW!"

Nicholas took a step back and then turned and followed the others onto the lift.

Danny watched them disappear in the belly of the shuttle and then turned to face his foe. "You've got a lot of nerve tracking me down this way, Technus," he growled.

Technus floated up a few feet away and smiled. "My, my, after four years of evading us in the Real World, and then five years trapped in the Ghost Zone, you're still as overconfident as you were as a kid," he said. "Not much of a difference, unless you count your height and age."

"I'm glad I don't have to say the same for you to a certain point," Danny replied. He smiled cleverly. "At least you've upgraded yourself and learned not to start off every battle with a long-winded introduction, not to mention that your _lamo snazzy talk _is now up to date too."

Tehcnus growled and made his fists glow. "If that's the way you want to start off our little reunion, Kid, then let's get down to business!" he said. "Starting with how I destroy you and then take over your shuttle!"

"The only one being destroyed today is _you!"_ Danny shouted back. "Those people are under my protection and I am _never _going to let you harm _any _of them, never mind take over _my _ship!"

"Two goals; two ghosts! Let the games begin!"


	20. Chapter 20

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I am REALLY sorry for the long wait, guys! D8 I've just been busy with other things, writing other stories, and managing my DA account. But, here are the last chapters for Gaining Trust; I'm not sure when I'll post the next one, but I still have at least three stories to write. They will KINDA go in chronological order, but I'm not too sure yet._

_Oh yeah; um, there may be a few spelling errors in these, but I don't have time to proof read it again. I've done it twice already^^;  
_

* * *

The doors to the command deck slid open and in ran Nicholas. "What's going on out there, Art?" he shouted, running to the windows.

Arthur, Lancer, Melissa, as well as most of the other people, were all crowded around the windows and watching the fight go on. "Danny Phantom's fighting that Technus guy!" Lancer replied. "It's funny, but it almost looks like the same moves Dr. Fenton used when he did the training for us."

Nicholas pushed by everyone and stared at the battle. Danny flipped from side to side, went intangible and even invisible, all the while shooting one ghost ray after another. Technus put up shields and shot attacks back at the hero. Both got hit at certain points, but they continued to battle each other none the less.

"Hey, maybe he'll duplicate or something," a man wondered.

Nicholas spread out his arms. "Alright, people, get to your stations!" he ordered loudly as everyone turned and dashed off. "We need to get this hunk o' junk going!"

"Did you get the samples?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. The other guys are putting them away in the supplies right now."

"So now what?"

Nicholas stared out the window again. "We take off."

"We _what?"_ Melissa exclaimed. "Nicholas, Captain Fenton is still out there!"

"Danny Phantom gave us strict orders, Melissa," Nicholas replied. "I don't like them either, but we have to follow procedure! Get this ship started, guys!"

Reluctantly, everyone got to their stations and began starting up the engines. From the outside of the ship, the rockets below the shuttle began to hum and light up.

Nicholas grabbed the controls and began slowly raising the shuttle off of the ground. Every now and then, he looked down to keep a visual on the battle.

Danny seemed to be fighting well, but within mere minutes, Nicholas knew that something was wrong. It had been years since Danny Phantom had shown his face, and even longer since he was last seen battling Technus. During that time, Technus may have had the chance to become stronger and adapt to his enemy's attacks.

"What does that Technus guys want anyway?" Lancer wondered.

Nicholas fidgeted with buttons and levers. "Probably the shuttle," he replied. "It's built to attack ghosts, and is the most advance piece of space technology in America."

"You really studied that manual the captain gave us, didn't you?"

Nicholas looked at him. "Someone's gotta do the dirty work," he replied. He turned to the controls again. "We'll hover at a safe distance and wait to see when it would be safe to go get the Captain—!"

"Nicholas, look!" Melissa gasped, staring out the porthole.

Nicholas turned his head and looked down at the asteroid again. To his surprise, there was a bright flash of green light, almost like an explosion. Sailing out of it while tumbling over the ground was Danny Phantom.

"What kind of attack was _that?"_ a man exclaimed after the explosion shook the shuttle.

Nicholas became incredibly concerned for his captain. "It's brand new," he whispered in horror.

Danny Phantom slowly rose to his feet and flew into the air, shooting ghost ice. After a moment, he leaned back and, when he leaned forward again, out came a loud ghost wail, one of Danny Phantom's most powerful attacks.

"It's the Ghostly Wail!" a woman cried. "I remember that from the training and from TV! It's one of his most powerful ghost powers!"

"Look at Technus fly, man!" Lancer laughed. "He's flippin' around like a tumbleweed!"

But Nicholas was not as excited as the others. After Danny had finished the attack, he floated down to the ground again and seemed to sway in weakness.

Something was wrong; Danny's attacks were taking a toll on him.

_Come on, Danny,_ Nicholas thought. _You've just got to make it!_

Technus shot a few more attacks that seemed to cause Danny to contort in pain. After raising himself back to his feet, Danny spread out his arms. A gust of wind formed a dust tornado around him, and after a few seconds, the ghost began to glow white, brighter and brighter.

"Whoa, I don't know that attack," Lancer's partner muttered. "It must be new."

The light enveloped Danny completely from view until finally, it exploded and shot out like a large white shockwave over the surface of the asteroid. Then, he shot a ray of white ghost light and threw Technus several feet backwards.

"Whoohoo!" the crew cheered. "Go, Danny Phantom!"

The battle continued for several more minutes until suddenly, the white light ceased. Danny Phantom fell on all fours in exhaustion, much to everyone's surprise, and once Technus had recuperated from his injuries, the green ghost turned and threw a rod of electricity-like energy at his foe. It wrapped around Danny's body, causing the ghost to contort once more and scream in pain.

That was it. Nicholas pressed the auto-pilot button and got out of his seat. "Arthur, take command until I come back!" he ordered, dashing out of the room.

"What?" Arthur exclaimed as everyone watched him leave.

"Turn the ship around and lower it a bit so that the back is facing the battle! I need the lift to be as close to it as possible! I'm going to get Captain Fenton!"

"Nicholas, wait! COME BACK!"


	21. Chapter 21

Using his Ultimate Control had been a horrible mistake on Danny's behalf. Not only had he been too weak to fully call upon it to do any serious damage, but it left him even weaker than before. That allowed Technus to attack him again, and this time, Danny was unable to defend himself.

He screamed in pain and felt his energy drain even more. The first few attack that Technus had sent him were energy suckers—a weak attack if not used in great amounts, but it had the ability to steal away some ghost energy.

Technus smiled deviously. "Not bad for an old ghost, huh?" he shouted. "You shoulda done some more practicing while lost in the Ghost Zone, Danny!"

Danny continued to cry in pain until Technus finally ceased attacking. Danny swayed weakly before falling backwards onto the ground, completely drained of strength.

But he only realized how deadly his situation became at that moment; for just as soon as his ghost energy had reached zero, he reverted back into a human, transforming his suit colors as well. But without the proper suit he had disposed of just minutes ago, he was immediately exposed to the dangers of space.

Danny shot his eyes opened and gasped for air while groaning in pain and contorting weakly. The thin suit he had on was only good to protect him as a ghost, but not enough to protect him as a human. And the mask he had traded only covered his face and part of his head, if the communicator toque did not count. The oxygen that came through the tube was not enough for him to properly breathe, which left him feeling like a fish out of water.

Technus laughed. "Ha, ha!" he said. "You should have thought of that before you transformed, Danny!" he mocked, pointing at the human as he continued to gasp for air. "Not only is your physical body destined to suffer, but your lungs are going to implode if they don't get the air they need! That's why ghosts are so much more powerful!"

Danny arched his back and clawed at the ground, still trying to breathe, until his vision began to blur. He became light headed and weak. Sounds around him began to echo and fade away. Slowly, he became immobile, although he subconsciously continued to try and breathe through his now wheezing air mask.

Technus floated up to him and held up his hand, palm facing the human. It began to glow green. "I think now is as good a time as ever to finally beat you for good, Kid," he said. "Say goodnight, Danny Phantom—!"

"Good_night!"_

A powerful blast exploded against Technus' back, propelling the ghost forward with a painful shout. Once he had regained balance, Technus turned to face his attacker.

Nicholas held up his ghost ray blaster while speeding towards him on a small bike-like speeder. He was fully dressed in his EMU, save the adult diaper, but completely ready for action. He clenched his teeth and frowned gravely while slowing the bike down to a stop in midair. "Get away from him, you Ghost!" he growled. "Or I'll let you have it again!"

Technus frowned. "What's this; a human taking on a ghost?" he scoffed. "Give it up, kid; you already tried that. It isn't going to work a second time—!"

"Try me!" Nicholas challenged, firing three blasts at him.

Technus pulled up a small shield, but it only blocked one of the three attacks. He groaned in pain and grasped his shoulder. "You'll pay for that, scum!" he snapped.

Nicholas jumped off of the speeder. "Considering you're now weak enough for this next trick," he announced. He pulled out his Fenton Thermos and pointed it at the ghost. "I don't _think _so!"

He pressed the button and out shot a bright ray of blue light. Technus gasped in horror as it wrapped around him. "No! Not _that _thing again!" he exclaimed. He tried getting away but failed, and was instantly sucked into the thermos. "NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!"

Nicholas held it in place until the last of the light had disappeared inside before slamming the lid over it. He quickly tucked it away in his suit and dashed over to his captain. "DANNY!" he cried out.

Danny remained immobile as Nicholas knelt down and raised him up. All Nicholas could hear was the weak wheezing of the mask as its last drops of oxygen were pouring into it. With this low of air to breathe, Danny had slipped into unconsciousness and had gone as limp as a fish.

Nicholas knew that he had little precious time to get the man onto the shuttle before the oxygen ran out completely. He raised the man into his arms and carried him to the speeder. "Arthur, do you read me?" he asked.

"_Loud and clear, buddy,"_ came the response. _"Did you find the Captain?"_

"Affirmative, but he's in critical condition."

"_Critical? Where did Danny Phantom go?"_

"He had to leave via the Ghost Portal. I caught Technus for him, but he told me that one of the ghost's attacks seriously injured Dr. Fenton."

Nicholas started the speeder up and flew as fast as he could towards the shuttle. There, the lift remained lowered, waiting for him to reach it.

"Contact Jacob and tell him to get the infirmary ready when we arrive!" Nicholas ordered. "Do it now!"

"_Yessir!"_

Nicholas landed on the lift and waited impatiently for it to rise. He looked down at Danny with worry-filled eyes. "Just hang on, Danny," he whispered. "Just hang on…"


	22. Chapter 22

_Just hang on… Just hang on… Just hang on…_

The distant sound of beeps echoed in his mind as the words faded away. Then followed the sound of an oxygen mask, pumping in air and pumping out CO2. It was a soothing sound, after spending what seemed like _hours _in the dark, yet it sounded irritatingly mechanical at the same time; like a machine was pumping it.

Reluctantly, Danny dared to open his eyes. A big, white blur filled his vision at first, and slowly, different objects began to take shape. He saw fleeting blurs of figures moving back and forth, and only guessed it to be people once the blurs had subsided a little.

He blinked slowly and then turned his head to one side dizzily before replacing it in position.

"_Captain?... captain…"_

The word echoed in his head a few times until finally, the echoes disappeared and the sounds became more familiar. Danny attempted to raise a hand to his face yet found that it was too weak to do so. All he did instead was move his fingers, discovering that there was a pulse reader pinched over his thumb.

A man with black hair leaned over him. "Up, Sir?" he said quietly.

Danny recognized the man as Jacob Robinson, but was unable to speak clearly. All that came out was a weak moan.

"Yep, he's up," Jacob added. He reached over and gently began removing the oxygen mask. "Happy to see he's finally coming to. It's been almost two days, now."

_Two days?_ Danny thought. _But I was just fighting Technus. Where am I?_

Once Jacob had removed the mask completely, he looked at someone nearby.

"Thanks, Jake," came a man's voice. "Could I have a moment with him?"

"Sure thing. I'll go see how Art's doin' with the command deck."

Danny waited until the footsteps had faded away and the sound of the door sliding open and close had ceased before daring to move his head again.

"Just relax," the same man said gently. "Your body's still trying to heal itself."

"Wh… Where am I?" Danny croaked weakly.

"On the shuttle. We're on our way home now. We passed the moon a few hours ago."

Danny finally turned his head to the right and set it down there.

"You're in the infirmary. Jacob's been keeping a good eye on you, Sir. We've all been really worried for you."

When Danny finally opened his eyes, the person he saw was the very last person he had expected to see:

Nicholas was sitting on a stool next to the patient's bed in the infirmary on the shuttle. He stared with gentle brown eyes at his captain and only grinned very weakly. "Are you feeling better, Captain?" he asked.

Danny blinked slowly before moving his head again. "How did I get here?" he asked.

"I brought you here. You suffered a few physical injuries from being exposed to space like that, but nothing that your ghost powers can't heal."

"How did… how…"

Nicholas shifted positions. "I took the speeder bike and came out to get you, Sir," he replied.

"Where's Technus?"

Nicholas grinned weakly again and held up the Thermos. "I wouldn't worry too much about him," he said softly.

Danny stared at the Thermos and for a moment, wondered how he had been able to capture the ghost without remembering; but then he realized that _he _had not been the one to capture Technus. He frowned weakly in confusion before looking up at Nicholas again.

Nicholas set the Thermos down on the bed next to Danny's hand. "He's all yours once you can walk again," he added.

Danny blinked. "The ship… I transformed…" Fear settled in his eyes for a split second.

"Don't worry, Sir," Nicholas replied. "I made sure it was turned around. They didn't see anything. As far as the crew's concerned, Danny Phantom went back through the portal."

Danny sighed of great relief and closed his eyes before opening them once more and looking at Nicholas again.

"You're safe now," Nicholas added gently.

Danny remained silent for a moment longer before opening his mouth again. "… I told you to stay on the ship," he said weakly.

Nicholas shrugged weakly and placed his hands beneath his chin. He grinned timidly. "You know I'm bad at following orders," he replied.

Danny stared at him in silence, blinking every now and then. Nicholas could see his eyes slightly surprised to hear those words. But after another moment, he finally saw something that he had not expected to ever see:

Danny inhaled deeply and smiled gratefully. The surprise in his eyes gave way to relief and even a bit of pride.

Nicholas waited silently to hear what he had to say.

Danny nodded weakly. "… Thank you," he whispered. "… Nicholas…"

It was the first time Nicholas had heard his captain address him by his first name, and in such gentleness too. The astronaut smiled in return, finally assured that he had mended their relationship. "You're welcome, Danny," he replied.


	23. Chapter 23

A little over a day later, the crew of Shuttle B-614 found themselves back on Earth, on the Johnson Space Center landing site. The sky was blue and the sun shined brightly, though many of the astronauts were slightly disappointed that they could no longer look over the beauty of the unknown.

Nicholas and Arthur helped Danny off of the shuttle that afternoon, greeted by the cheers of another crowd outside the landing site. From there, he was transported to the hospital, got a thorough check on his injuries, and once deemed stable with only the need of a few days' rest, Danny and his crew took the next flight to Texas.

From NASA, news about Danny Phantom's space fight with Technus over protecting the space shuttle had quickly crossed over the entire country, and became front page news by the time they had landed. News about the ghost hero rescuing the shuttle's designer and captain reached Amity Park.

News about Danny's miraculous survival reached the Fentons and the mayor of Amity Park, who quickly packed their things and took the first flight out to Houston, Texas, where the shuttle crew was requested to go for reports and to hand over their samples.

Sam and Tucker searched the crowded hall for any signs of their friend, along with Danny's family and Andy. "I don't see him; do you, Tucker?" Sam asked, trying to peer over everyone's heads.

Tucker straightened his glasses after someone bumped him and then looked to the front of the hall. He gasped softly and pointed. "Over there, Sam!" he shouted.

He had spotted the crew and their captain, near the front of the stage where the Lieutenant would welcome them. They had just arrived at NASA from their flight, which was why there were so many people trying to reach them.

Tucker grabbed Sam's hand and began making his way through the crowd. Sam held onto her son while Danny's parents decided to stay where they were, not wanting to disturb the crowd even more.

Danny was busy answering questions from the half of the crew that stayed behind at the command center. His powers had helped him recuperate enough to be deemed a miracle survivor; all he had left were a few bruises and a slight limp in his right leg. Those from the crew on the ship who had witnessed the battle spoke excitedly all at once about the famed ghost and how he had rescued their captain.

"Danny!" Tucker exclaimed.

Danny looked about when he heard his name being called. Once his eyes had met theirs, he smiled.

Sam pushed by Tucker, followed by her son, and ran through the crowd until she was in her husband's arms. "Danny, you're okay!" she cried out as the rest of the crew dispersed and went to meet their own families.

"We heard about Danny Phantom and Technus over the news, dude," Tucker said as he joined them. "You really got us worried."

"How badly did you get injured? How long were you exposed like that?"

Danny laughed softly and placed his hands over Sam's cheeks. "I'm fine," he replied. "He just took me by surprise, that's all. It's all over, now. Technus is trapped in the thermos."

Andy leaped around his father. "Danny Phantom fought Technus! Danny Phantom fought _Technus!"_ he exclaimed. He stopped and squeezed in between his parents, causing Sam to back away a little. He stared up at Danny with bright eyes. "How did you win him _this _time, Daddy? Huh; how did you catch him _this _time?"

Danny rubbed his head. "To be honest, Squirt, I didn't actually _win _this time," he replied. "In fact, I wasn't even the one who _caught _him."

All three stared at him in shock and confusion. "Then, who did?" Tucker wondered.

Danny looked at him before turning his head upon hearing a shout from the side doors. Dr. Johnson had just arrived, and upon seeing his nephew nearby, shouted out to him happily. Nicholas, who was busy speaking with his parents and his brother, turned and ran into the scientist's arms as the old man laughed.

Sam and Tucker stared at them as well until they finally understood why they were. With clever grins, they turned their eyes upon Danny again.

Danny grinned timidly. "I… had a bit of help," he replied.

Sam raised a finger and shook it in his direction. "I _told _you so!" she chanted.

"So I guess he wasn't all that bad after all, huh, Hero?" Tucker teased.

"No," Danny said softly. "Not… all that bad."

Andy tugged on his father's uniform. "Does that mean that you've gots another member for the Phantom Crew, Daddy?" he asked eagerly. "If you do, then that makes two who work at NASA wif you!"

Danny stared at him in silence until Lieutenant Jones announced over the microphone that everyone was to take their places.

"You have one heckova story to tell us on our way home, Danny," Tucker said as Sam grabbed Andy's hand. They turned and walked back towards Danny's parents.

The families took their places while Danny's crew sat in the first two rows of chairs. Danny and Dr. Johnson joined the Lieutenant on the stage and stood near the back, waiting for the crowd to quiet down.

Jones looked about before leaning towards the microphone again. "As you all know, our Special Missions A-Team has just returned from the launch site, in Florida," he announced. "They were able to bring back samples for our scientists to study; samples we hope will help us unravel some of the universe's many mysteries. As the General Director of NASA, I'm proud to say that the very first NASA Special Mission… has been a great success."

The hall filled with claps. Andy raised his arm and waved a small NASA flag around.

The Lieutenant waited for the people to silence again before continuing. "I'm sure ya'all heard about the battle between the two ghosts," he said. "Though it continues to slip everyone's mind on _how _the so-called protector of Amity Park followed our crew out into space, if it hadn't been for him…" He looked at Johnson for a moment before turning back to the microphone. "… If it hadn't been fer Danny _Phantom, _our crew, our shuttle, and perhaps even our shuttle's captain, would never have made it back to Earth."

Danny waited a moment while the crowds cheered and then leaned over to Dr. Johnson. "How the heck did you get him to say _that?"_ he said with an amused grin, knowing the immense contempt his boss had for the ghost hero.

"It wasn't easy, if you wanted to know," Johnson whispered back. "He initially wanted _me _to make the announcement because he did not want to be the one to congratulate the ghost."

"How did you bribe him?"

"You do _not _want me to answer that, Daniel."

Danny chuckled softly and returned to his former position as the crowds settled down again. Jones cleared his throat and raised his head. "However, not all the credit—thankfully," he added very softly, "—goes to the ghost. In fact, if it had not been for the bravery of one of the crew members aboard the shuttle, NASA's youngest Captain, Dr. Daniel Fenton, may not have returned home at all." He looked at the crew. "Please join me in welcoming the crew's co-pilot onto the stage: Dr. Nicholas Stevenson."

Nicholas stood up when the crowd began to cheer again and made his way around the stage and up the stairs that led to it. Once on, he stood as immobile as he could.

"Dr. Stevenson left his post to rescue his commander, and although he _did _disobey a direct order, he saved the life of one of NASA's best," Jones announced. "He was able to capture the spirit known by Amity Park as _Technus,_ who has been given to Dr. Fenton's family for safekeeping, and he was also able to return Dr. Fenton to the shuttle before his oxygen mask completely failed. Miraculously, the Captain survived, and it's thanks to his co-pilot here, who I will now award the medal of loyalty to."

He turned around and, as the crowd cheered again, walked up to Nicholas. Danny joined him and stood by Jones' side as they face the young astronaut.

Nicholas inhaled deeply and held his breath.

"Dr. Stevenson," Jones said, opening a small box, and holding it out to Danny, "I am honoured to award you this medal, which your Captain will place on your suit. "Loyalty is a very important value at NASA, especially when you're on a mission, and you not only showed it onboard, but also during training and while remaining by yer Captain's side during his hours of recuperation."

Danny held up the small medal and placed it over Nicholas' chest.

"May you wear this medal with pride, Kid. Not every guy gets to fight a ghost and actually _win."_

Nicholas stared at his medal before looking up at the director and grinning.

Lieutenant Jones nodded his head and then he and Danny saluted the astronaut, who then returned the gesture.

Jones turned and went back to the microphone to announce the lunch they had made in honor of the first Special Missions team. Once the crowds had stirred and got up from their seats, Jones and Johnson left the stage while speaking discretely about the samples.

Danny watched them leave before looking at Nicholas again. Nicholas took another deep breath.

"Although it was a stupid move you played up there, I'm glad you played it," Danny said softly. He looked down at his hands. "It's been years since I've battled in space. And the change of gravity and lack of air didn't do any better." He looked up at Nicholas again. "Not to mention the fact that I decided to unleash two powerful attacks, which just ended up making me weaker."

"That last one was new," Nicholas said softly. "What's it called?"

Danny looked at his feet. "Some things are better left unknown until the right time," he whispered.

Nicholas nodded. "Yessir."

"But…" Danny paused for a moment and then grinned weakly yet gratefully. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be here. I made a miscalculation, Technus had perfected a new power, and it nearly cost me my life. Not to mention have my secret exposed."

"No one will ever know about it, Sir," Nicholas reassured him. "For as long as I live, I'll make sure no one learns about it… I promise."

Danny looked up at him again at these words. He waited a moment before nodding. "Yes. You do," he replied. His eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you these past few weeks, Nicholas," he said softly. "I don't really _like _being hard on people, especially those who are clearly trying their best to get on my good side…" He looked at the floor once more. "I was… I was just worried things would take a turn for the worse. I've been in situations before where I tried to trust someone with my secret but they only betrayed me and would have let something leak to the world if it hadn't been for my friends and myself taking drastic measures." He waited a moment before continuing. "I was… scared you would do the same thing."

Nicholas grinned weakly. "This old scientist once told me something," he said, catching Danny's attention. "He told me that, though it doesn't seem like it, heroes can be the most fearful beings of us all. Though they've managed to overcome their fears several times, they harbour more than any other person on the planet, due to their responsibilities." He grinned a little more. "Everyone gets scared of something, Sir. Even if they _are _ghosts."

Danny cracked a grin at these words and laughed softly before looking away again.

"But I'll tell you one thing…"

Danny looked up at him again.

Nicholas waited a moment before smiling wryly. "You sure know how to make an enemy," he said.

Danny chuckled. "It's a bad habit," he replied with a shrug. "The guys in the training game you went through are only a handful of them." He reached into his pocket. "Speaking of which…"

Nicholas watched him do so until Danny's hand came back out. Danny stared at it for a moment before looking at his co-pilot. "Considering you now know my secret and you've passed the _trust test,"_ he began while grinning, "I would be honoured if you accepted this."

He opened his hand, and sitting in it was a small pin. It was the symbolic D that represented Danny Phantom.

Nicholas took it in his hands and held it up to examine the black pin. He looked at Danny in curiosity.

"The Phantom Crew can always use another member," Danny added. He smiled wryly. "Not to mention I may need someone to cover me if an attack like that ever happens in space again."

Nicholas smiled and wrapped his fingers around the pin, grasping it in his hand. "Th-thank you," he said. "Thank you, Sir—!"

Danny raised a hand and stopped Nicholas in his words. The red-haired astronaut stared at him in surprise.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Just _Danny _will do, Nick," he said with a grin.

Nicholas grinned timidly and nodded. "Of course," he replied.

* * *

A few days went by. Danny found himself strong enough to get back into his daily routines in Amity Park, which included having Andy try to leap on him again and then try to gobble his cereal down.

Danny, dressed in his baggy jeans and favourite T-shirt, rushed into the kitchen and stopped his son from choking again. "Gee _wiz, _Andy; how many times am I going to have to stop you from killing yourself?" he asked.

"Until I'm outa school," Andy replied, although he slowed down and ate at a normal pace.

Danny walked over to where Sam was making Andy lunch and leaned against the counter with a sigh.

"So, you're finally 100% healed?" Sam guessed without looking up.

"Yep," Danny replied. "And to celebrate, Tucker's inviting me over to have a video game showdown."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Aren't you two a little _old _to still be playing that stuff?" she asked.

Andy turned in his chair and pointed his spoon at his mother. "_You _still play 'em," he noted.

Sam blushed while her husband chuckled softly. "Touché," he muttered.

Sam grinned amusingly before continuing her work. "So, Nicholas promises to keep things under wraps?" she said.

"Yeah," Danny replied.

"Trust him?"

Danny smiled slyly. "You just want me to admit that I was wrong again, don't you?" he said.

Sam smiled proudly. "I just relish the fact that girls are still smarter than guys."

"No, they're not!" Andy exclaimed, kneeling on his chair. "They play wif Barbie dolls!"

Danny choked on a laugh while Sam frowned at her son. "Eat your breakfast," she muttered. She continued preparing his lunch. "At least you have someone else you can trust now, Danny; it'll be easier for you to cover DP's trail if anything goes wrong at NASA again." She looked at her husband while raising an eyebrow. "Which, considering your ghost buddies, will probably happen again and again and again."

"If it happens a lot, could I stay up an' watch Daddy beat the bad guys?" Andy asked eagerly. "_Please _Mommy?"

Sam looked at him. "Absolutely _not,"_ she replied firmly.

Andy moaned and sat back down while staring at his parents through the bars of the chair. "I wish I could stay up later and watch Daddy fight ghosts," he muttered.

"It's already bad enough that you sometimes sneak _out _to watch," Sam said sternly.

His father chuckled and leaned towards his wife. "Kinda reminds you of _you, _huh, Sam?" Danny said quietly, smiling slyly. "When we were fourteen, huh?"

Sam narrowed her eyes and swatted Danny across the head, making Andy giggled hysterically. "Okay, so he's inherited my rebellious character," she said. "I still blame _you _on the ghost powers."

"Well, _duh,"_ Danny replied while gingerly rubbing his head. "Something that cool could never come from you."

Sam slammed Andy's lunch box shut and held up a dish towel. She twisted it around, held it up and swung it through the air.

Danny immediately turned intangible, causing the dish towel to fly right through his waist instead of snap against his side. He smiled amusingly at his wife, baring his teeth and making his son laugh. "Told you they were awesome!" he exclaimed.

Sam tossed the dish towel at him before turning around and opening a drawer. When she faced Danny again, smiling cleverly, she held up an anti-ghost belt. "You may be awesome," she said, "But _I'm _the smart one." With that, she leaned forward and attempted to tie the belt around Danny's waist.

Danny cried out in fright and jumped back, just out of reach of the belt. Andy burst into laughter again. "O-o-okay, Sam," Danny said with a nervously laugh, holding his hands out defensively as he backed away from her slowly. "Enough games. You win. Just put the belt away."

"Why?" Sam asked, stepping towards him. "After all those times you played ghost and freaked _me _out, I think I'll get some payback, Mr. Awesome." She swung the belt out, trying to touch her husband. "Not to mention it'll teach you not to trust _girls!"_

Danny leaped back again and continued to hold his hands out. "Come on, Sam, I said you win," he said nervously. "Now _please _put that thing away."

Sam continued to grin slyly and lashed out at Danny again. The man yelped in fright and backed away quicker. "Come _on, _Sam, we need to get Andy to school!" Danny announced. "Not to mention I don't want to go to Tucker's looking like I've been fried!"

"Fried chicken sounds good!" Sam teased, making Andy laugh some more.

"Where the heck did you _get _that thing, anyway?"

Andy placed his backpack over his shoulders. "Gramma Fenton gave it to her," he said. "She said it was to whip you back in place!"

"My mom said _what?"_ Danny exclaimed in shock.

Sam swung the belt in circles. "I feel like having a little exercise before we take Andy to school," she said. "Let's start with a little homemade ghost hunting!" She charged for Danny while holding out the belt.

Danny screamed in fright and leaped out of the way before dashing around the table and running into the living room. "Sam, come on! Cut it out!" he cried out.

All Sam did though, was laugh hysterically and chase him around the house. Eventually, Danny began to laugh as well, although he still shouted in fright whenever his wife whipped the belt out at him.

Andy watched them whenever they came into view and giggled behind his hand. "Uncle Tucker was right," he said. "When two best friends get married, love really hurts!"

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **And there concludes another Danny Phantom story 8D I'm sorry it takes forever. I don't visit this website very often, even though I read every comment, which I thank again^^ (email is handy, yup) The next few stories are my fave. I enjoyed writing those ones more than this one. THey include Nick, Johnson and Jones, as well as a bit of Andy. THe special Tucker one I had written I gave up on because the ending never came to me... Well, the ending did, but not the middle part. So for now, it's out of commision._

Uni is starting for me again next week. Depending on my availability, I can't promise if I'll be able to post often. I might do it in chunks again. ok, I'm out!


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